Press Releases

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28 April to 10 June 2006

Robert Marsden is a leading figure in British silversmithing and metalwork, which in recent years have proved to be among the most dynamic and innovative of the applied arts fields.

His new table-top sculptures are developed from a small group of abstract, minimal forms. The references of their severe, yet refined, geometry appear architectural - the words slab, plinth, pillar, capital, sarcophagus or trough might all be used to describe particular elements. The sculptures are titled ‘Asides’, an epithet chosen to denote their initial status as a parallel line of inquiry, although they have since become a central preoccupation.

In an appraisal of an earlier collection of Marsden‘s work Ann Elliot commented: ‘he appears to be seeking the essence of abstract form in works that tempt the eye in their apparent simplicity, but that render the intellect unsure, as they seem to contradict first or fleeting impressions.’ This is again the case here. Appreciation of his minimal aesthetic soon leads to the recognition of an extraordinary number of variations among a family of objects. Some differences arise from the contrasting material qualities of solid aluminium and patinated brass sheet, others from the mere revision of an angle. But, in addition, our reading of a form alters as we move around a piece, disturbing our perceptions and constantly prompting us to check illusion against reality.

Biographical notes

Born in 1947, Robert Marsden trained at High Wycombe College of Technology and Art and the Royal College of Art, London. His works cover a full range of concerns from those of fine silversmithing to monumental outdoor sculpture. He has exhibited internationally and examples of his work can be found in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead; and the Crafts Council Collection, London.



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Juliana Barrett

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