Gainsborough: Lecture examined the changing public face of sculpture in the UK

Members of the Gainsborough Decorative & Fine Arts Society welcomed Mary Yule to their June meeting.
The Angel of the North was one of the modern sculptures Mary Yule talked about in her lectureThe Angel of the North was one of the modern sculptures Mary Yule talked about in her lecture
The Angel of the North was one of the modern sculptures Mary Yule talked about in her lecture

An experienced lecturer for the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection and NADFAS, Mary gave a light-hearted overview of contemporary public sculpture in Britain and looked at what makes a successful public sculpture commission.

She said: “Traditionally, sculpture has provided dignified focus for our towns and cities.

“But today’s public sculpture often attracts controversy.”

Her lecture discussed some of the most memorable current examples – Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North in Gateshead, the Fourth Plinth project in Trafalgar Square, Kapoor’s Orbit Tower at the Olympic Park and much more besides.

The title refers to Mary’s experience of taking part in Gormley’s One and Other project on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 2009 when she herself became a public sculpture for one very long hour

The next meeting of the Society is on Thursday, 4th September when Susan Kay-Williams will present the lecture With Just a Needle and Thread: Embroidery Techniques Through the Ages, at 1.45 pm at Trinity Arts Centre in Gainsborough.

Visitors are welcome at £5 entry. For membership details, call 01427 788568.

Lunch the preceding Monday is bookable through Rachel on 01427 838780.