David Nash
A collection of photos and sketches chronicles an exhibition by David Nash (b. 1945) at Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Poland in the summer of 1991.
About the artist
David Nash (b. 1945) is one of the leading British Sculptors of his generation, with an international reputation. From 1963-65 he studied at Kingston college of Art, before pursuing postgraduate study at Chelsea College of Art from 1969-70.
Nash has exhibited widely, and his sculpture is held in several international collections. In 1994 he was elected as a Royal Academician, and in 2004 he was awarded an OBE for services to the arts.
What’s in the collection?
The archive holds a collection of photographs, sketches and papers relating to David Nash’s exhibition at Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland in 1991.
Nash had exhibited with Polish painter, Leon Tarasewicz (b. 1957), in a group show at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham in 1986. The two artists accepted an invitation to continue the dialogue they developed here in a joint exhibition. In the summer of 1991, Nash travelled to Poland to make sculpture for the exhibition.
He made the pieces in-situ, in a forest near the village of Waliły in north-eastern Poland. The project centred on a large rotten poplar tree found by the artist in the forest, as well as recently felled oak and alder trees. Nash began with no preconceived plans of how the work might develop and reacted to the materials, the setting and the relationships he developed with local foresters, artists and gallery staff.
The archive consists of correspondence between Nash and the curators of the exhibition and The British Council, who partly funded the project. There is a photocopy of Nash’s diary during his time in Poland, a sketchbook for the sculptures, and thirty-nine photographs of the sculptures being made and installation shots of the exhibition. There are drafts for the exhibition catalogue made by Nash and a copy of the final publication, press releases, and other related printed material.
Search the archive catalogue
Find more information about the David Nash archive in our online catalogue.
National Life Stories recordings
National Life Stories was established in 1987 to document the lives of people living in Britain. Housed at the British Library, the Artists’ Lives series provides a unique resource for those exploring the lives of artists within the wider context of British society.
In this interview with Denise Hooker, David Nash recalls a lecture given by Claes Oldenburg at Chelsea School of Art, and how it stimulated ideas relating to his own artistic practice. The full recording is available in the research library, alongside those of many other sculptors.
Related exhibitions
David Nash in Poland: Documents from the Archive of Sculptors’ Papers
24 February – 9 October 2020
Sculpture Research Library
In the summer of 1991, David Nash travelled to Poland to make sculpture for an exhibition at Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw. This display looks closely at the project, with photos of works in progress, pages from Nash’s diary, and his sketchbook all presented together.
Photographing Sculpture: How the Image Moves the Object
20 March – 22 June 2014
Upper Sculpture Study Gallery
Photography has made sculpture mobile since the birth of the medium, whether activating them visually, transporting them by proxy or documenting their travels across space and time.
Dear Henry Moore: Connections and Correspondence
3 February – 26 June 2011
Upper Sculpture Study Gallery
This exhibition looks at Moore’s associations with a younger generation of sculptors, for whom he was, as the critic Herbert Read described, ‘in some sense a parent’.
David Nash: Line of Cut
4 September – 24 November 1996
Main Galleries and Gallery 4
Line of Cut focuses on David Nash’s interest in geometry and abstract form. A rigorous exercise of control underlies Nash’s sculpture, which is characterised by a tension between freedom and discipline, between nature and the artist.
Visiting the Archive of Sculptors’ Papers
The archive is free to use, but visits must be booked in advance so that we can get items ready for viewing.
Visits can be booked Tuesday to Friday, 10:00–17:00.
Book a visit
Getting here
Henry Moore Institute
74 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AH
United Kingdom
T: 01132 467 467
E: institute@henry-moore.org
