British sculptor Kenneth Armitage (born 1916) attracted critical acclaim early on in his career with works such as People in the Wind (1950) and Family going for a Walk (1951). By the time of his Venice Biennale exhibition in 1958 he was internationally famous, and since then he has been the subject of numerous exhibitions worldwide. His work is now recognized as having made a major contribution to British sculpture this century. Kenneth Armitage: Life and work is the first full-scale monograph to be published on Armitage’s sculpture and has been produced in close collaboration with the artist. The main text of the book is the edited transcript of tapes recorded by John McEwen and Tamsyn Wollcombe, in which Armitage explores the themes he has pursued throughout his career, and his attitudes to sculpture. Even those who know his work well will find illumination in the artist’s candid, honest account of his own career. Seventeen colour and over 120 black-and-white reproductions, all selected by the artist himself, illustrate the narrative text, which is supported by a list of works – the most complete compiled to date – and details of solo and group exhibitions, public collections and publications. Alan Bowness, who has known Armitage for forty years, contributes a Foreword.
