Naum Gabo at Tate St Ives

Constructions for Real Life

We took a trip to St Ives to see the new Tate exhibition exploring the work of the acclaimed Russian Constructivist sculptor Naum Gabo. Walking through the (always wonderful) permanent collection at Tate St Ives, there is a tantalizing taster of what’s to come, as the vast Head No.2 1916, enlarged version 1964 (pictured above) looms large at the end of the corridor, boldly marking the entrance to this extensive show.

The exhibition is a carefully curated collection of preliminary maquettes, drawings, prints, architectural plans, film and full-scale sculptures, which capture the playful and exploratory essence of Gabo’s work. He was obsessed with process, material and movement which reflected the technological can scientific advances of the time.

I was mesmerised by the huge faceted structure of Head No. 2 and it was a pleasure to walk through the rest of the show, which chronologically charts the artists life and work. Another highlight for me was Two Cubes (Demonstrating the Stereometric Method) 1930 - a minimalist dream which describes the artists’ early experiments with space in the form of a deconstructed box. The simple act of altering the surface and the satisfying visual aesthetic it reveals was a pivotal moment in Gabo’s work and his on-going sculptural developments.

Exhibition notes :

The Russian-born visionary Naum Gabo (1890 –1977) believed in the power of art to communicate across social and cultural boundaries. A pioneer of international Constructivism, he created work responding to the ideas, materials and technologies of the 20th century. On the 100th anniversary of his influential declaration The Realistic Manifesto, Tate St Ives presents an extensive selection of Gabo’s ground-breaking sculptures, models, designs and prints that bought time, space and industrial materials into art for modern life.

FREE entry for Locals Pass holders