This display considers the transformations to sculptural practice in the Sculpture Department of St Martin’s School of Art, London between 1964-71. Under the inspiring leadership of Frank Martin, it became the most important centre for sculptural innovation in Britain. The Sculpture Department is most commonly associated with the formal innovations of sculptor and tutor Anthony Caro, but this display focuses on the work of students who challenged traditional notions about the form and meaning of the sculptural object.

New approaches to sculpture and its teaching flourished throughout the 1960s. With the support of a new tutor, Peter Kardia (born Atkins), students began using diverse practices with no traditional connection to sculpture. They were more interested in the creative process than the final product and the artwork was often an event rather than an object. Photography became indispensable, first to document these new activities and as a sculptural medium in itself.

These students challenged the idea of sculpture as a traditional art form with a rightful place in the gallery, moving sculpture from the studio into the real world. Their work, which ranged from bicycle rides to performances, challenged the viewer to consider questions regarding ephemerality, time and decay and above all interrogated the relationship of art to life.

This display has been devised by curators Clarrie Wallis and Hester Westley

BP British Art Displays 1500-2007