Phillip King
“Colour on Fire & Ceramics 1995-2017”
Thomas Dane Gallery, London
November 29, 2017- February 3, 2018
What the Gallery Says: “Colour on Fire (2017), a large geometric form in bright hues has been perforated, almost obliterated, with dozens of large cylindrical holes that bisect the volume of the sculpture. The vibrant and competing colours of the work also combine with the brightly coloured walls of the gallery. [Meanwhile at 11 Duke Street] a crowd of solemn, statuesque, unglazed ceramic vessels populate the gallery spaces… Part Brancusian totems and part abstract figures, King sets off echoes within the group of works with forms repeating and mutating throughout the show.”
Why It’s Worth a Look: A contemporary of the late Anthony Caro—both were included in the seminal “Primary Structures” exhibition at New York’s Jewish Museum 50 years ago—King surprised the critics in the 1990s by embracing ceramics having made his name with steel sculptures, and he’s still going strong. The exhibition in two halves in Thomas Dane Gallery’s twin spaces in Duke Street, Mayfair, is divided between new vessels that the 83-year-old, Tunis-born, London-based British sculptor helped install himself, and the large-scale sculpture, Colour on Fire, which lives up to its title.
What It Looks Like:
Phillip King Colour on Fire (2017). Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker
Phillip King, detail of Colour on Fire (2017) Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Installation view of Phillip King, Ceramics Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Installation view of Phillip King Ceramics Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Installation view of Phillip King Ceramics Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Phillip King, Bodhisattva (2017). Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Phillip King, Eye Vessel (1995). Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.
Phillip King, Cup Drift (1995). Image courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Luke A. Walker.