1963
Bronze, edition of 6
76 cm high
Sculpted in 1963, Elisabeth Frink in her 1992 interview with Sarah Kent said that plant head was more based on fossils and formed around the idea of man changing into animal, animal into plant like an evolution. This sculpture did not follow the notion of emotional damage that can be experienced in her other heads of the same period, like soldiers head. This bronze is in an edition of six and was shown in Washington in 1990, Frink’s last American exhibition.
“Well, these, these ones in
particular, these carapaces and horse
head, and plant head, fish head,
they’re really much more based on
fossils, you know, man changing
into animal, animal changing
into plant, sort of evolution.”
— Recording E. Frink and S Kent, 1992, excerpt British Library
Exhibitions
Waddington Galleries, 1965 and 1972 (not this edition)
Royal Academy 1985 (not this edition)
University of Keele 1988 (not this edition)
Washington 1990 (not this edition)
Salisbury 1997 (not this edition)
Exhibited
London, Waddington Gallleries, Elisabeth Frink, 28th November – 21st December 1963, cat. no.3 (another cast), with tour to Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York, and Landan Gallery, Los Angeles;
London, Waddington Galleries, Elisabeth Frink, 30th November – 24th December 1965, cat. no.21 (another cast).
Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture, Prints and Drawings, 1972 exh.cat Waddington Galleries I, II and III, London
Catalogue Raisonee, 1984
Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture and Drawings 1952 – 84, 1985 exh.cat with essay by Sarah Kent and interview with Norman Rosenthal, Royal Academy, London
Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture and drawings, 1988 exh.cat with essay by Bryan Robertson, University of Keele
Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture and Drawings 1950 – 90, 1990 exh.cat with essay by Bryan Robertson, The National Museum of Woman in the Arts, Washington DC.
Annette Downing, Elisabeth Frink: Sculptures, Graphic works, Textiles, exh.cat., essays by Annette Downing, John Hubbard, Edward Lucie-Smith, Salisbury Festival and Wiltshire County Council Publication, 1997
Annette Ratuszniak, Elisabeth Frink: Catalogue Raisonne of sculpture 1947 – 93 2013 p.86
Born in Thurlow, Suffolk, Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) trained at Guildford School of Art (1947-49), and at Chelsea School of Art (1949-1952) under Bernard Meadows and Willi Soukop. These studies, combined with visits to Paris that acquainted her with Giacometti and the works of Rodin, culminated in Frink’s first major exhibition at the Beaux Art Gallery in 1952.