Leeds Art Gallery Announces Summer of Sculpture Programme

New exhibitions to showcase contemporary and historic sculptures

Leeds Art Gallery is set to host a series of sculpture exhibitions this summer, featuring works by internationally recognised artists as well as pieces linked to the region’s artistic heritage. The programme will run from May through to early 2027, presenting a range of installations and displays that explore different themes and periods in sculpture.

Exhibitions and highlights

• The Anti-Virus Sculptures by Garth Evans
  This exhibition will open on 22 May and run until 4 October. It features over 30 small-scale plaster sculptures created by Evans during the first Covid lockdown. Each sculpture has its own name, and visitors will have the opportunity to suggest titles for some unnamed pieces. The works were conceived as a protective response to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
• Arp: The Plasters
  Also opening in May and running until 4 October, this exhibition celebrates the recent acquisition of ten plaster sculptures by Jean (Hans) Arp (1886-1966). The sculptures were gifted by Stiftung Arp, e.V. to Leeds Museums and Galleries and The Hepworth Wakefield. Arp’s plasters were used for bronze casting, exhibited as artworks, and served as inspiration in his studio. The exhibition will display these alongside related works held at The Hepworth Wakefield.
• UNEARTHING(S) by Hannah Catherine Jones
  Running from 22 May to 30 August, this Yorkshire Contemporary commission marks Jones’ first exhibition in her home county and her largest solo presentation. The installation uses soundscapes and sculptural elements within the gallery’s Central Court to explore themes of grief and regeneration, drawing on the artist’s background as part of Yorkshire’s Caribbean diaspora.
• Dinner Party exhibition
  Opening on 26 June and continuing until 6 February 2027, this exhibition revisits a wartime show organised by Philip Hendy at Temple Newsam House. It brings together paintings by Matthew Smith and bronze sculptures by Jacob Epstein, alongside contemporary sculptures and assemblages by Olivia Bax.

Context and significance

Leeds Art Gallery holds one of the UK’s most significant collections of twentieth-century British art, including modern and contemporary sculpture by artists such as Phyllida Barlow, Anthony Gormley, Hew Locke, Mike Nelson, Veronica Ryan, and Alison Wilding. The gallery forms part of Yorkshire Sculpture International, a partnership with the Henry Moore Institute, The Hepworth Wakefield, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which promotes the region as a centre for sculptural excellence.

The Summer of Sculpture programme is part of a wider plan to develop collaborative sculpture events in 2027, further establishing Leeds as a cultural destination for the arts.

Local government response

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, commented on the programme’s significance for the city’s cultural scene and its role in attracting visitors.

Further information

Details about Leeds Art Gallery and the Summer of Sculpture programme can be found on the Leeds Museums and Galleries website: Leeds Art Gallery Summer of Sculpture.