Phyllida Barlow had a lifetime of adventure making art
The British sculptor, who died on March 12th, aged 78, represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2017
Her art emerged, she once said, from a childhood memory of climbing up an empty staircase, hoping for the sky. There, in that gaping space, she would feel the reach and stretch of plaster, cement, colour, surprise; the excitement of perilous moments; the sentient fear of vertigo; the big anthropomorphic shapes that stared and waited: dumb, curvaceous, still, biding their time. That was where the adventure began.
This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “Sculpting from stuff”
From the April 8th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Obituary
Marianne Faithfull battled labels all her life
The singer and icon of the 1960s died on January 30th, aged 78
Mauro Morandi needed to abandon consumer society
The hermit-guardian of Italy’s loveliest beach died on January 3rd, aged 85
David Lynch mesmerised filmgoers with mystery, beauty and horror
America’s strangest and most surreal film-maker died on January 16th, aged 78
Peter Fenwick became the world expert on near-death experiences
The neuropsychiatrist and promoter of “the art of dying” died on November 22nd, aged 89
Chiung Yao taught the Chinese all about romantic love
The bestselling novelist and screenwriter died on December 4th, aged 86
Jimmy Carter was perhaps the most virtuous of all America’s presidents
The humble peanut farmer who went to the White House died on December 29th, aged 100