The largest and most comprehensive retrospective of the British sculptor Stephen Cox is now open at Houghton Hall.
Stephen Cox: Myth is presented across the park, gardens and interiors of Houghton Hall, the exquisite 18th century country house located in North Norfolk and built for Britain’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745).
Stephen Cox RA is one of the most acclaimed British artists of his generation. Best known for his monumental works in marble, alabaster and porphyry made using traditional techniques, he has exhibited internationally – including at MoMA in New York and at the National Gallery and Tate Britain in London – and his works are in many private and public collections around the world.
For this exhibition, 20 sculptures in marble and stone have been placed in the landscape and in the Stone Hall of Houghton Hall. Smaller works are displayed in the State Rooms, where William Kent’s exuberant decorative scheme has hardly changed since it was created in the early 18th century. Works on paper are brought together with sculpture in a modern gallery space in the South wing of the house.
Stephen Cox said: “I work amongst diverse cultures and look for the imaginative which, like poetry, gives us ‘meaning’ without definition. We speculate on our origins, but we carry the answers in the very ‘matter’ of our being.”
Lord Cholmondeley, owner of Houghton Hall, said: “The title of Stephen Cox’s exhibition at Houghton seems particularly fitting as so much of his work as an artist references the mythology and religions of ancient civilisations – especially Egypt and the Indian subcontinent – with their allegorical fables and anthropomorphic deities.”
“‘It has been an extraordinary experience to work with Stephen Cox on assembling and positioning the work – the first time I have been so closely involved in the curation of one of our exhibitions. Handling his exquisitely carved figures, libation bowls and other totemic pieces has been a rare privilege. An alchemy of enrichment seems to have occurred between Cox’s sculptures and William Kent’s sumptuous interiors, with their variegated marble tables and entablature; a subtle connection across the centuries, that both Kent and his patron, Sir Robert Walpole – who began rebuilding Houghton in 1721 – would surely have approved.”
Stephen Cox: Myth is the most recent in a series of acclaimed art exhibitions presented by Houghton Hall, giving visitors an opportunity to see great contemporary art in a unique historic setting. Over the past 20 years featured artists have included James Turrell, Richard Long, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Magdalene Odundo.
For further information: houghtonhall.com
The exhibition is organised by the Houghton Arts Foundation, supported by the Rothschild Foundation and with key assistance from the artist.
Image: From left to right: Figure: Deposition, 2018; Say II, 1997; Hermaphrodite– Mappa Mundi, 2002, Egyptian Porphyry; centre: Koptos Torso, 1989, Hammamat Breccia and Portland Stone; continuing from centre, left to right: Tool, 2015; Figure, 2014; Abstract Figure, 2024, Egyptian Porphyry. Photo: Pete Huggins © Houghton Hall
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