WORK OF THE WEEK: Laura Ford, Waldegrave Poodles, 2015
Laura Ford
Waldegrave Poodles, 2015
Patinated bronze
68 x 33 x 75 cm (each poodle)
2ft 2 x 1ft ⁹⁄₁₀ x 2ft 5 in.
Cast 1 of 6 + 2 APs
These works all contain a large dose of humour. They also draw on many familiar cultural references, which makes them immediately accessible, and once they have your attention they start to play with your assumptions and emotions.
- Laura Ford on her sculpture at Roche Court Sculpture Park, March 2024
Laura Ford is well known for her portrayals of imagined, fantastical creatures with distinct and uncanny anthropomorphic qualities. The Waldegrave Poodles, an arrangement of three beautifully patinated bronze sculptures, was initially created for her 2015 solo exhibition at Horace Walpole’s gothic villa, Strawberry Hill.
The poodles draw directly upon Sir Joshua Reynolds’ 1780 portrait ‘The Ladies Waldegrave’, a large painting commissioned by Walpole of his three nieces: Lady Charlotte, Lady Elizabeth, and Lady Anna. Originally hung in the great parlour of Strawberry Hill, the Reynolds painting is now currently hanging in the Scottish National Gallery. As Laura Ford transforms these young women into pampered pooches, she simultaneously explores her concerns around gender and power, visibility and invisibility.
After studying at Bath Academy of Art (1978 – 1982), Laura Ford received her MA from Chelsea School of Art. She has exhibited widely, including at the Camden Arts Centre, London; the Arnolfini, Bristol; the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh; The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Connecticut, USA, and Strawberry Hill, Twickenham (2015). Selected solo exhibitions include Reveal and Conceal, East Quay, Somerset (2022), Playing Real Pretend, Howick Place, London (2020) and most recently The Guts and the Glory, Bo Lee and Workman, Bruton. She represented Wales in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005. Laura Ford’s work is included in many public collections, including the Government Art Collection; the Tate Collection; National Museum and Galleries of Wales, Cardiff; Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park, Michigan, USA and the Gateway Foundation, St Louis, USA.