The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain

Celebrating how still life has been at the heart of artistic experimentation in modern and contemporary British art, this exhibition reveals how leading artists have used it as a vehicle to grapple with some of the most profound themes of the human condition.

Charting the history of British art through the lens of still life, ‘The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain’ traces the genre’s crucial role in movements including post-impressionism, neo-romanticism, surrealism, abstraction, pop and conceptual art, and examines its relevance to artists working in Britain today.

From vibrant floral arrangements and tranquil domestic scenes, to dark depictions of skulls and dream-like visions, the exhibition explores themes such as life and death, beauty and decay, love and loss, identity and the subconscious, abundance and waste, biodiversity and climate change, migration and the legacies of colonialism and empire.

It presents how geopolitical contexts surface within British still life, the role of women artists in expanding the possibilities of the genre and pushing against its traditional boundaries, and the tremendous significance of international artists settling in Britain. About 150 artworks are on display by around 100 artists, including Hurvin Anderson, Vanessa Bell, Patrick Caulfield, Prunella Clough, Lucian Freud, Gluck, Mona Hatoum, Lubaina Himid, David Hockney, Lee Miller, Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Ben Nicholson, William Nicholson, Eric Ravilious, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Walter Sickert, Rachel Whiteread and Clare Woods.

The exhibition includes several new works and is complemented by a site-specific clay installation by Phoebe Cummings.

This work of organic floral forms built in raw clay is located in the Gallery’s 18th century townhouse, responding to the interior features of the house and reflecting upon still life themes of fragility, impermanence and materiality. Cummings’ sculpture highlights how we have cultivated the natural world, responding to the stylisation of nature in the history of art and design.

Through reusing clay at the end of each project, Cummings has developed a sustainable method of working.

‘The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain’ is running until October 20 at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester.