WORK OF THE WEEK: Kenneth Martin, Construction, 1972
Kenneth Martin
Construction, 1972
Painted iron and steel
600 x 122 x 122 cm
15 x 4 x 4 ft.
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Kenneth Martin’s Construction was commissioned by the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation in 1972, for the City Sculpture Project, a nationwide scheme to place large-scale public sculpture in England’s industrial cities.
Conceived specifically for its site at Arundel Gate, Sheffield, the city of Kenneth Martin’s birth, Construction was fabricated in one of the city’s world-renowned steel works. It was exhibited for 6 months in the heart of Sheffield until its relocation and installation outside the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, London, and subsequently in Battersea Park for the Silver Jubilee of Contemporary Sculpture, 1977.
Kenneth Martin (1905 – 1984) was a celebrated painter and sculptor, observed as a leading figure in the revival of Constructivism. Often beginning with 2-dimensional mathematical drawings, he says that the exploitation of form in all its dimensions is necessary to create a work of art. Construction demonstrates the artist's exploration of the potential of simple numerical rhythms, created in geometric space, and delivered on an immense scale.
Kenneth Martin is noted for his large-scale commissions, including Screw Mobile, Victoria Plaza London. His piece, Fountain, was made for the International Symposium in Gorinchem, Holland. His work is held in various public collections, including the British Museum; the Arts Council of Great Britain; the Tate Gallery, London; Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo, Netherlands; the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. He was awarded an OBE in 1971, and an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Art in 1976.
A full catalogue for this work, written by Dr Susan Tebby, a leading scholar on British Constructivism, and who was also Kenneth Martin’s studio assistant at the time of his making of Construction - Click below to view.
All works at Roche Court Sculpture Park are for sale.
For sales enquiries, please email nac@sculpture.uk.com or phone +44 (0) 1980 862 244