Tony Cragg at Exhibition Road

Lost in Thought (2011) is one of the works by influential British sculptor Tony Cragg on display at the Science Museum as part of a major new exhibition, Tony Cragg at Exhibition Road.

The exhibition is the first large-scale public display of Tony Cragg’s work in London. Showcased by Cass Sculpture Foundation, five major new outdoor sculptures will take over Exhibition Road and six indoor sculptures will be on display at the Science Museum, the V&A and the Natural History Museum.

Early on in his career, while studying at the nearby Royal College of Art, Cragg found inspiration in the collections of these museums. Today that influence is still present in his work. In the pieces on view in this exhibition, motifs from science and nature appear alongside references to classical sculpture. Cragg’s sculptures bring together the contrasts of artistic abstraction and figuration to produce forms that are extraordinary and yet somehow familiar.

According to Cragg, Lost in Thought is a work about ‘movement, dynamics and psychologies both of the human mind and of sculpture’. It reflects the rigid yet natural pathways we associate with being lost in thought. By stacking laminated wood to make precise forms which he then carefully carved, Cragg has produced a work with both meticulously structured and loosely organic components.

Tony Cragg -Lost in Thought (2011). Photographer Stuart Wilson. Courtesy of the artist and Cass Sculpture Foundation. 

Tony Cragg at Exhibition Road re-imagines the relationship between the road and the museums established following the Great Exhibition of 1851, providing unique artistic links across the sites. The exhibition is part of the London 2012 Festival, a 12-week UK-wide celebration featuring leading artists from the UK and around the world. It has been developed in collaboration with the Exhibition Road Cultural Group.

For more information on Tony Cragg at Exhibition Road and to download the accompanying app please go to www.sculpture.org.uk.