Cragg to appear on Exhibition Road

Planning permission has been granted for a major exhibition of sculptures by Tony Cragg. 

Five major pieces by the internationally renowned artist will grace Exhibition Road for three months beginning in September 2012 and further pieces are to be displayed at the V&A, Science Museum and Natural History Museum.

The exhibition is the product of a partnership between the Cass Sculpture Foundation, the Exhibition Road Cultural Group (ERCG) and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with the Council and ERCG providing the settings and the Cass Sculpture Foundation meeting all other costs.

This will be the first sculpture exhibition on Exhibition Road and the first outdoor exhibition of Cragg's work in London. The five outdoor sculptures will be up to 5.5m in scale.

Tony Cragg is a significant figure on the art scene. Born in Liverpool in 1949, Cragg studied art at the Gloucestershire College of Art and Design and Wimbledon School of Art before completing his studies at the RCA (a member of the ERCG). In 1977, he moved to Wuppertal in Germany where he continues to live and work. In addition to exhibiting his work internationally, Cragg is the Director of the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf and founded and operates a sculpture park in Wuppertal.

Exhibition Road is a nationally important streetscape that has garnered major awards and accolades ever since it was completed at the end of 2011. It is now one of the most beautiful streets in the Capital and as the largest single surface space in the entire country, ideally suited for use for creative purposes. It links together more than a dozen internationally important cultural institutions and attracts over 11 million visitors a year.

"We are delighted to be able to begin our sculpture series with major exhibits from a renowned artist like Tony Cragg," said Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Nick Paget Brown. 

"We hope that over time everyone will find pieces on Exhibition Road that are challenging, interesting, even beautiful and that the regular presence of public art will add to the new buzz and atmosphere in the area." 

"We are so thrilled to help enable the first exhibition by Tony Cragg on Exhibition Road and hope this will encourage people to come and see more of the best international sculpture at the Cass Sculpture Foundation," said Wilfred Cass, Founder of the Cass Sculpture Foundation.