Exhibitions
Out of the Block: Michael Cooper
Our current solo exhibition of Michael Cooper’s sculpture will be a mixed show of his acclaimed animal studies, including both bronze and stone.
Michael Cooper’s sculpture is a study in the wide variety of animal, bird and human figures, carved deftly and with assurance in marble and stone, or cast into bronze, allowing the beauty and essence of each animal to be revealed. Cooper’s patient process, of long hours spent chipping away and carving into stone or marble imparts a deep, quiet energy about each subject. As such, the surface of each sculpture is made palpably tactile, both drawing the viewer in and provoking the sense of touch.
Of his process, Cooper explains:
“As I carved a block of stone, it became possible to harmonise with the material and work in partnership with it rather than in conflict. The physical effort of carving and the concentration required produce a very precise focus, suspending the usual thought process and allowing another part of me to function.”
Michael Cooper was born in Dublin in 1944, before moving to England where he studied at Heatherly’s School of Art from 1969 until 1971. He now lives and works in Buckinghamshire, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors. His work is held in public and private collections around the world, and he has exhibited widely, including: Jersey and London Zoos, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the Gloucester Cathedral Crucible exhibitions (2010 & 2014). Cooper is also acclaimed for his public commissions, notably a reclining figure in Travertine marble at Covent Garden, and three bears in Belgian Fossil Marble at Bicester Village, Oxfordshire.
Of his process, Cooper explains:
“As I carved a block of stone, it became possible to harmonise with the material and work in partnership with it rather than in conflict. The physical effort of carving and the concentration required produce a very precise focus, suspending the usual thought process and allowing another part of me to function.”
Michael Cooper was born in Dublin in 1944, before moving to England where he studied at Heatherly’s School of Art from 1969 until 1971. He now lives and works in Buckinghamshire, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors. His work is held in public and private collections around the world, and he has exhibited widely, including: Jersey and London Zoos, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Royal Academy of Arts, and the Gloucester Cathedral Crucible exhibitions (2010 & 2014). Cooper is also acclaimed for his public commissions, notably a reclining figure in Travertine marble at Covent Garden, and three bears in Belgian Fossil Marble at Bicester Village, Oxfordshire.
CREDIT
