LONDON.- A conversation in stone opened last week in Jermyn Street, between the contemporary sculpture of Emily Young (b. 1951) and a selection of works from the classical to the neoclassical presented by Tomasso gallery.
As a young woman, Emily Young worked primarily as a painter but in the early 1980s she started carving in stone, preferring to use discarded materials from abandoned quarries. The 21 recent works in this exhibition have been created out of colourful and glowing sections of stone such as onyx and marble; the natural character in the structure of the geological materials she works with amplifies the raw beauty of each piece.
Tomasso have carefully chosen 12 historic pieces crafted in rare coloured and patterned marbles that respond to Emily Young’s contemporary works, such as a 17th century Roman Head of an Amazon in the inky striated shades of Bigio Morato marble and an Italian Neoclassical vase and cover circa 1780 carved from Breccia di Civitavecchia in swirling tones of rust and earth. A 1st century AD Roman Figure of an Athlete in cream marble stippled with the patination of age echoes the natural ruddy oxides that texture a piece titled Green Lake Head (2018) by Emily Young.
Willoughby Gerrish comments “The primary objective of Emily’s sculpture is to bring humankind and the living planet into a consciously closer conjunction.” He continues: “A stone carver can put into the working of the stone their thoughts, questions, dreams. Those carvers from history, with skill and poetic justification, live on with us now. Carved stone manifests the purposes of art, of poetry, in cultures around the world throughout human history.”
Young’s work is in public and private collections throughout the world. She has exhibited at many prestigious museums including: The Getty, California; The Imperial War Museum London; The Whitworth, Manchester; The Meijer Sculpture Gardens, Grand Rapids, and in 2018, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Willoughby Gerrish deals in Impressionist, Modern and Post-War periods with a specific focus on sculpture; he also deals in a select group of established contemporary artists. Tomasso are recognised specialists in European sculpture, ancient art and master paintings.
The exhibition Emily Young: Carving in Time is open at Tomasso from 13 October through 12 November.
