Indications of a New Visual Order: Surrealism, Sculpture and the Independent Group, 1951-1956 by Wilfrid Wright

The Independent Group (IG) was a pioneering collective of artists, architects, writers and theorists who met between 1952 and 1955 and challenged prevailing modernist approaches to culture post-war. The group is perhaps best known for its influence on the foundation of Pop Art and New Brutalism, however, in recent years, scholars have begun to explore the group’s close links with European Surrealism, partly through their connection to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and figures within it, such as the influential Surrealist painter and collector, Roland Penrose. Subsequently, the work of individual IG members, including Nigel Henderson and Eduardo Paolozzi, has been re-evaluated in terms of their Surrealist leanings.

This talk delves into the work of the sculptors within the group, namely Paolozzi and William Turnbull, but it also explores the group’s radical approach to exhibition design – considered one of their most important contributions to the history of British Modernism – thinking about these presentations as immersive sculptural installations comprising a multitude of media to create a comprehensive whole. Most importantly, the talk considers the influence of Surrealism, both pre- and post-war, on the IG, their work and exhibition culture and thus the impact that Surrealism had on post-war British sculpture and installation art more widely through the seminal output of the IG.

Wilfrid  Wright is an independent art historian, writer and curator, specialising in 20th and 21st century British and European sculpture. He studied History of Art at the University of Warwick and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, where he was mentored by the noted Surrealism scholar, Professor Gavin Parkinson. Wilfrid works with museums and public institutions, as well as commercial galleries and private individuals to develop research, curate exhibitions and manage collections, primarily relating to sculpture, and regularly writes and lectures on art.