Gloucester Cathedral

Crucible is one of the largest and most important exhibitions of contemporary sculpture to take place in Britain during the past decade.

Over 70 works of art will be featured by many of Britain’s most renowned sculptors and internationally famous artists, including 13 who are members of the Royal Academy of Arts and 1 Royal Hibernian Academician.

Crucible will include sculptures by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Lynn Chadwick, Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst. Some pieces have been sourced from private collections or specially loaned and several have been made especially for the exhibition. Many have never been seen in public before.

Crucible, jointly organised by Gloucester Cathedral and Gallery Pangolin will be open for two months, from 1st September – 30th October 2010. The exhibition will be completely free of charge, allowing people from all walks of life to enjoy some of the most exceptional contemporary sculpture of the past 50 years.

Gloucester Cathedral will provide a magnificent setting for Crucible, which will take place throughout the building and grounds, including the crypt and cloisters. A centre for sculpture itself, the Cathedral has been producing outstanding stonemasonry for the past 900 years and still employs 7 talented masons to continue this work. One of the Cathedral masons, Jordi Raga Frances, also a gifted sculptor, is extremely proud to have his work included in this world-class exhibition.

The Crucible exhibition will be providing schools and colleges with a unique ‘learning outside the classroom’ opportunity. The Cathedral Education Centre is designing an imaginative educational programme to engage students with the sculptures and the environment in which they are to be exhibited.

The exhibition is to be promoted to schools within Gloucestershire and beyond including all schools with pupils who have special needs. It is vital that these students are also able to be enriched by this experience.
link to Crucible page

The Very Reverend Nicholas Bury, Dean of Gloucester Cathedral says: “The Cathedral is a great work of art in itself, where masons and sculptors have worked for centuries. It makes a truly wonderful setting in which to see the great works of contemporary artists. We are thrilled to be working with Pangolin and to be welcoming local and international audiences to contemporary sculpture in this inspiring space.”

As the Dean of Gloucester Cathedral prepares to retire, this world-class exhibition is a fitting tribute to his commitment to the arts in Gloucestershire.

Crucible will be open from 1st September to 30th October at Gloucester Cathedral.