Turner Prize winner explains the material challenge of placing 47 tonnes of his work on show in the Sussex countryside
An outdoor exhibition by one of Britian's leading sculptors is drawing thousands of art lovers to the countryside.
Tuner Prize winner Tony Cragg's exhibition at the Cass Foundation at Goodwood, near Chichester, was visited by more than 1,000 on Sunday.
Mr Cragg was born in Liverpool but has lived and worked in Germany since 1977. In 1988 he represented Britain at the 43rd Venice Biennale and in 1994 the Royal Academy of Arts made him a Royal Academician, one of the highest honours to be bestowed by the art establishment.
His exhibition at Goodwood features 12 pieces set in four-acre former chalkpit which the foundation bought and grassed over specifically for the works.
The pieces include a 150ft ebony bust and a sculpture designed to look like three huge washing up bottles, painted to resemble cheap plastic. Altogether, the 12 pieces weigh in at 47 tonnes.
Wilfred Cass, who established the foundation with his wife Jeannette in 1994, said he had wanted to exhibit Mr Cragg's work for many years.
He said: "It has taken three and a half years to put together and it is the biggest outdoor exhibition of his work in Britain to date.
"Visitors I spoke to said it was amazing. I think he's one of the most inventive British artists alive today and at 55 he's at the height of his powers.
"Because he's spent most of his working life in Germany his work hasn't been seen very much in this country. There is no major place you can go to see more than one piece of his work.
The exhibition is an opportunity to see the pieces togther in a beautiful setting. We have been very careful with the separation of the pieces. They have been places to work together and they create a special ambiance. It is a great visual experience."
At his studio in Wuppertal, Germany, Mr Cragg said: "In Britain the number of people interested in sculpture is getting larger. It is very encouraging to see so many people coming."
"Wilfred Cass wanted a one-man show, which didn't seem possible in the sculpture park.
"He came up with the solution of extending the grounds, making a smaller outdoor exhibition space and that enabled the exhibition to take place.
"We have worked on this for the past two and a half years. I have has the exhibition at the back of my mind and have been selecting works to put into the spoace."
The Cass Foundation maybe set in 22 acres of beautiful Sussex woodland but Mr Cragg wpuld have preferred an indoor show.
He said: "There are no advantages to an outdoor exhibition but there are a few disadvantages. When you make sculptures for outdoors you are limited in your choice of materials.
"Sculpture for the last 100 years has been about finding new materials to make art work. Outdoors, you have to go back to very substantial materials and, of course, the piece has to be well made. You can't put three-dimensional plaster works outside.
"Outside is very big and every tree is bigger then any sculpture you are going to make so you have to think about how the works will react with their surroundings.
"It is not the neutral space of a gallery or museum. It is a problem to be solved."
He said working witht the Cass Foundation had been a rewarding experience.
"We have had a very good and positive relationship for a long time and I hope that continues.
"Both of us understand my work will go on to other spaces and at the same time other artists will exhibit in that space."
The Tony Cragg exhibition is the first of its kind for the foundation but has been such a success Mr Cass plans to hold world-class exhibitions every two or three years.
The foundation was established to make modern sculpture more accessible and enjoyable for ordinary people.
Previous artists displayed include Anthony Caro, Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Thomas Heatherwick, Allen Jones and Phillip King.
Mr Cass said: "The foundation has only been going for ten years but in that time peoples' awareness of modern sculptures has moved on in leaps and bounds."
Article by Charles Whitney, first published in 19th May 2005 edition of The Argus.
