Arts&Entertainment
Elizabeth Frink exhibition opens in Dorchester
T
hirty years after her death, the first ever exhibition dedicated to Elisabeth Frink’s time in Dorset showcases over 80 sculptures, drawings and prints at Dorset Museum, including the working plasters that informed the final bronze sculptures that have never been on public display before. One of the most celebrated sculptors of recent times ‑ the first female sculptor to be elected as a Royal Academician (1973) - Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) produced over 400 sculptures throughout her illustrious career, a significant part of which was produced at her Woolland studio in Dorset between 1976 and 1993. As part of this new exhibition, her Dorset studio will be recreated featuring her tools and the working plasters that formed the basis of some of her most well-known bronze sculptures, giving visitors a unique opportunity to step inside and see how one of Britain’s foremost artists worked. As well as understanding her artistic process, visitors will get a chance to explore the influence of her private Dorset life, with a selection of
personal possessions on display including letters and photographs. The dying wishes of her son, Lin Jammet, were that the entire Frink Estate and Archive be given to the nation, ensuring that Frink’s vision of sharing her artwork within the public sphere was achieved. This generosity resulted in a significant cultural gift to 12 public museums across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with Dorset Museum receiving more than 300 works in 2020, making it one of the largest public collections of Frinks’ work. The Frink Estate gifted 31 bronze sculptures, more than 100 prints and drawings along with several original plaster sculptures, studio tools and equipment. Works in A View from Within is drawn from this collection, as well as from the Frink Archive at the Dorset History Centre, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art. They show the breadth of Frink’s subject matter and mastery of different techniques, from works that have been seen by millions in public, to those she privately pursued.
32 The Marshwood Vale Magazine January 2024 Email info@marshwoodvale.com Tel. 01308 423031
