Press Releases

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16 June to 29 July 2006

Philip Eglin is one of the UK‘s leading ceramic artists. His nude sculptures and vessels are inspired by aspects of art and ceramic history, but they also carry ideas of contemporary life and culture.

The new large female nudes depict the soft fleshiness of real women, rather than those rigidly sculpted by cosmetic surgery. His aim is to celebrate an idea of natural female beauty ‘and hopefully uplift the human spirit in the process’. Their poses are variously borrowed from fine art sources (the works of Cranach have been a past source of inspiration) or come from his own life drawings, as well as those made by his son. Eglin‘s childhood drawings were discarded or lost, so he has always valued the art of his children and often incorporates their images in his work. The surfaces of the nudes are richly layered and coloured. Anatomical details originate from press moulded sections of commonplace objects such as light bulbs, meat trays and other packaging items. His painting and use of decorative transfers is intuitive and accentuates the primary characteristics of the forms and their textures.

Recent ‘still-life’ groups of jugs arise from a long-standing interest in English Medieval ceramics. His enthusiasm dates from seeing examples in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and subsequent early experiments with medieval jug forms while still a student - although his knowledge has recently been enriched by the opportunity to study and handle similar pieces at the Museum of London. The detail of Eglin‘ new jugs also comes from contemporary packaging and is selected to echo the spirit of the medieval forms. In this sense they are a recycling of both the past and the present. He has developed his press moulding technique over a number of years and, due to an inescapable ancillary interest in the features of throw-away tubs, bottles and cartons, he has become aware of how their forms frequently change. He particularly enjoys the idea that, in the future, the date of one of his collectable pieces might be roughly established with reference to the symbols and marks of the disposable packaging that it bears.

Biographical notes

Born in Gibraltar in 1959, Philip Eglin trained at Harlow Technical College, Staffordshire Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art, London. He has exhibited worldwide including the USA, South America, Japan, Korea and India, as well as across Europe. His works can be found in numerous public collections including Auckland Museum, New Zealand; Mint Museum, North Carolina, USA; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The British Council; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. He was winner of the prestigious Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts in 1996.



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Juliana Barrett

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