Art Articles

Labelled by Dail Behennah | The Box Plymouth
Art - May 2022

Labelled by Dail Behennah

In response to the ‘Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945’ exhibition, we’re highlighting some of the female artists and sculptors in The Box’s collections. ‘Labelled’ by Dail Behennah was a beautiful installation inspired by our natural history collections that was displayed on the former Museum and Art Gallery’s half landing from February 2009 until March 2010.

Maps by Maurizio Anzeri | The Box Plymouth
Art - May 2022

Maps by Maurizio Anzeri

Works by Italian artist, Maurizio Anzeri can currently be seen in a range of locations throughout The Box. They give a brilliant insight into the variety of media Anzeri works with; from sculpture and drawing to embroidery and traditional craft techniques. These five maps of the world can be viewed in the Active Archives gallery and also encompass a range of materials and techniques. Read on to find out more.

91 Chyzanthemumz 4 Imsook by Zadie Xa | The Box
Art - May 2022

91 Chyzanthemumz 4 Imsook by Zadie Xa

People are often inspired by their mums, and artist Zadie Xa is no different. Read on to learn more about a beautiful, colourful cape that we have in our collections. It was created by Xa in 2018 and has a really personal story behind it.

Plymouth Porcelain: A New Collection by Clare Twomey
Art - Apr 2022

Plymouth Porcelain: A New Collection by Clare Twomey

Inspired by the 'Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945' exhibition, we're shining a light on some of the female sculptors and artists in The Box's collections. ‘Plymouth Porcelain: A New Collection’ was originally unveiled on the former Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery’s balcony in 2012 and was created by leading ceramic artist, Clare Twomey.

Mrs Hamar by Sir Joshua Reynolds | The Box Plymouth
Art - Apr 2022

Mrs Hamar by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Like the enigmatic smile on this young woman’s face, there is more to this portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds than meets the eye. You can currently see it on display in our 'Dress Code - Fashion Stories from The Box' exhibition (until 4 September).

Little Black Dress by Maurizio Anzeri
Art - Apr 2022

Little Black Dress by Maurizio Anzeri

Over the next few months we're thrilled to be displaying a range of works by London-based Italian artist, Maurizio Anzeri. They're located in a range of spaces across The Box and this is one of the standout pieces. Discover more about it here.

Xixho by Zadie Xa | The Box Plymouth
Art - Apr 2022

Xixho by Zadie Xa

We have a beautiful exhibition on display by artist Zadie Xa (until 5 June) which uses historic items from our world cultures collection as a starting point for new work. We first became aware of Zadie's work in 2018 and were lucky enough to acquire two pieces by her for The Box's permanent collections. Read on to discover more about this one.

Unpacking the themes in ‘Breaking the Mould’ | The Box Plymouth
Art - Mar 2022

Unpacking the themes in ‘Breaking the Mould’

‘Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945’ has just opened and will be on display in St Luke’s at The Box and The Levinsky Gallery at the University of Plymouth until 5 June. The exhibition is divided into three themes, and you can discover more about them here.

The Box’s 2022 Maureen Attrill Bursary awarded to volunteer | The Box Plymouth
Art - Feb 2022

The Box’s 2022 Maureen Attrill Bursary awarded to volunteer

A volunteer has secured a special research bursary awarded by The Box each year in memory of a former long-serving curator.

Songlines: Kungkarrangkalnga-ya Parrpakanu (Seven Sisters Are Flying)
Art - Feb 2022

Songlines: Kungkarrangkalnga-ya Parrpakanu sculpture

In St Lukes Gallery, the sisters are brought to life in a huge artwork that’s suspended from the ceiling. This has been a really popular installation with our visitors and the story of its creation is a fascinating insight into traditional sculpture making in the NPY Lands.

Songlines: NPY Lands | The Box Plymouth
Art - Jan 2022

Songlines: NPY Lands

We have come to the last of our explorations of the three deserts that feature in ‘Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters’. The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Lands span the central desert region of South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

How green is my county? Robert Bevan’s paintings of Devon
Art - Jan 2022

How green is my county? Robert Bevan’s paintings of Devon

Among the collections of The Box in Plymouth there’s a painting entitled ‘Green Devon’. It’s a work by the artist Robert Polhill Bevan (1865-1925), produced around 1919. The painting is an ideal portrayal of the landscape of the county and one of the aesthetic and cultural qualities highly valued by us, its greenness.