Taking the sixtieth anniversary year of the XXVI Venice Biennale of 1952 as its starting point Exorcising the Fear has explored a pivotal point in the history of British sculpture. Returning to the essay by Herbert Read which left an indelible mark on the history of art with the phrase ‘the geometry of fear’, the exhibition aimed to recapture the excitement and vitality of the moment when eight young British sculptors – Robert Adams, Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Geoffrey Clarke, Lynn Chadwick, Bernard Meadows, Eduardo Paolozzi and William Turnbull - burst on to an international scene and jump started a chain reaction that brought about a crucial sculptural renaissance in the history of British sculpture the impact of which can still be felt today.
The exhibition included works by:
