Phyllida Barlow RA (b. 1944)
For more than 50 years, British artist Phyllida Barlow has taken inspiration from her surroundings to create imposing installations that can be at once menacing and playful. She creates tactile, seemingly precarious sculptures that resonate with emotional intensity and the urgency of their creation. These constructions are often painted in vibrant colors and the means of their construction left visible, revealing their inexpensive, industrial materials: cardboard, fabric, plywood, polystyrene, scrim and cement.
Barlow studied at Chelsea College of Art (1960 – 1963) and the Slade School of Art (1963 – 1966). She later taught at both schools and was Professor of Fine Art and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the latter until 2009.
In February of 2019, Barlow created an entirely new exhibition in our Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries, which she conceived as her own interpretation of a residential cul-de-sac. By closing the exit door in the final room, Barlow forced the viewer to turn around and revisit each sculpture anew, from the other side. She created forests of seemingly precarious structures, exploring the full height of the gallery space with looming beams, blocks and canvases.
Profile
Born: 1944 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Elected RA: 26 May 2011
Gender: Female
Preferred media: Sculpture
Works by Phyllida Barlow in the RA Collection
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My studio life
![Welcome to Bermondsey]()
Welcome to Bermondsey
![Studio 2]()
Studio 2
![Coffee?]()
Coffee?
![Scaling up]()
Scaling up
![Working as a team]()
Working as a team
![Opportunities knocked]()
Opportunities knocked
![Stability]()
Stability
!["An industrial scale"]()
"An industrial scale"
![A performative process]()
A performative process
!["Space is something to be explored"]()
"Space is something to be explored"
![The importance of tradition]()
The importance of tradition
![A surprise visit]()
A surprise visit
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My work is about drawing attention to the way the world around us frustrates and surprises us. All sorts of things happen that make me intrigued about our everyday choreography within the urban landscape.
Phyllida Barlow RA
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Gallery
![Phyllida Barlow RA, Untitled: broken]()
Phyllida Barlow RA, Untitled: broken, 2013.
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Video
Highlights from Phyllida Barlow's show 'RIG', October 2011.
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Selected CV
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Recent solo exhibitions
2018 Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, Scotland
2017 British Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy
Turner Contemporary, Margate
2016 Kunsthalle Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2015 Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, USA
Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh
Lokremise, St. Gallen, Switzerland
2014 Tate Britain, London
Hauser & Wirth, London
Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Somerset
2013 Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach
Contemporary Art Society, London
2012 New Museum, New York
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen Hauser & Wirth, New York
2011 Hauser & Wirth, London
Kunstverein Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany
2010 Studio Voltaire, London
V22, London
BAWAG Contemporary, Vienna, Austria -
Selected collections
Tate, London
Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
Hessel Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson
Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen
Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich -
Selected publications
Franzen, Brigitte (ed.), ‘Phyllida Barlow: Brink’, Cologne: Walter König, 2013
Phillips, Lisa, Carrion-Murayari, Gary [et al.], ‘Siege’, New York: New Museum, 2012
Le Feuvre, Lisa (ed.), ‘Essays on Sculpture: Bad Copies: the drawings of Phyllida Barlow’, Leeds: Henry Moore Institute, 2012
König, Kaspar, Trummer, Thomas D. (eds.), ‘Before the Law: Post-War Sculptures and Spaces of Contemporary Art’, Cologne: Museum Ludwig/Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2012
Munder, Heike, Trummer, Displaced Fractures. On the Break Lines of Architecture and its Bodies, Thomas D, Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, 2011
Phyllida Barlow and Fiona Macdonald, Phyllida Barlow and Fiona Macdonald, Coexist Publications, 2011
Christine Kintisch, Phyllida Barlow: STREET, BAWAG Contemporary, 2010
Kathryn Rattee and Melissa Larner, Nairy Bagramian & Phyllida Barlow, Serpentine Gallery and Koenig Books, 2010
Ronnie Simpson and Phyllida Barlow, Phyllida Barlow: STINT, Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, 2008
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My studio life: Phyllida Barlow RA
We visited Phyllida Barlow RA in her busy studio as she prepared for an installation at Tate Britain.
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In the studio with Phyllida Barlow RA
Meet the sculptor who chooses materials for their rawness and authenticity to create her haunting art.
