Read about the Gallery Team's exciting preparations for the David Nash exhibition.
- 13 likes
- 0 comments
On Monday 14 May 2012 we were the excited recipients of the sculptures by David Nash, which are to be on display in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art as part of David Nash at Kew: A Natural Gallery which opens at Kew on 9 June 2012.
The sculptures will be exhibited in the Gallery alongside some of his two dimensional works and films associated with the sculptures themselves, while more of his sculptures will be placed within the wider Gardens, including some situated in the Temperate House.
The sculptures started arriving at the gallery at 9.30am after they were brought down from David Nash’s studio in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales

The sculptures needed to be transported to the Gallery using machinery
The sculptures were all individually wrapped and transported through the gardens on forklift trucks and tractors. Many of David Nash’s two dimensional works for the Gallery had arrived the week before, so for the first time we began to see the sculptures alongside the new drawings that Nash has completed during his time at Kew so far.

The two dimensional works were already in the gallery so the space was ready to receive the sculptures
It took until lunchtime for all the sculptures to come into the Gallery. They were brought in one by one on bases or inside frames using trolleys. The reception area was filled with about half a dozen sculptures while some were taken straight into the space.

The Gallery reception area
They were then placed inside the Gallery and unwrapped by Nash and the team. Some of the 2D works were also being unwrapped alongside the sculptures and the relationship between the drawings and sculptures began to emerge.

The 'Two Ubus' being raised to an upright position

David Nash placing the 'Two Ubus' so the cross as the top
The works by David Nash being exhibited in the Gallery all vary in size and shape, with a couple of sculptures comprising more than one element. All the works are of wood, and untreated, apart from a small number which have been burnt to achieve a blackened appearance, a characteristic feature of much of Nash’s work.

'Incised Pyramid Sphere and Cube' seen through 'Two Ubus'

The Gallery reception area will display 'Family Tree' and 'Palm Egg'
The final placing of the sculptures and the hanging of the two dimensional work took a few more days, along with the installation of the two films that will be running in the gallery. It has been an exciting but very different few days in the Gallery with plenty to do working alongside David Nash and the team.
David Nash at Kew: A Natural Gallery will open on 9 June 2012 at Kew Gardens. In the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, David Nash’s work will be displayed alongside the exhibition Portraits of Leaves and Fungi – paintings from the Shirley Sherwood Collection until April 2013.
- Joanne -
Related Links
- David Nash at Kew: A Natural Gallery
- Portraits of Leaves and Fungi - paintings from the Shirley Sherwood Collection
- Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art
Tags: creative | innovative | popular
About us
Kew's Library, Art and Archives contains many millions of items within its collections. Find out about the diverse teams who look after these collections and make them accessible.
- Archives team
- Directors' Correspondence Digitisation team
- Exhibitions & Galleries team
- Library Information Services team
- Preservation team
Find out more about Kew's collections
- If you would like to publish material from this blog in a separate publication, please get in touch with Kew’s Press Office at pr@kew.org. See our full Terms & Conditions here.
Related Tags
- english garden
- innovative
- around the world
- adventurous
- successful
- irreplaceable
- ground breaking
- amazing
- beautiful
- creative
- imaginative
- inspiring
- exotic
- for kids
- fun
- popular
- interesting
- english heritage
- historical
- romantic
- ancient
- rare
- active
- discovered
- old
- unusual
- high
- challenging
- donate
- for friends
- gifts that help
- the UK
- treasures
- at risk
- endangered
- fragile
- sustainable
- useful
- brand new
- for plant lovers
- special interest
- powerful
- high up
- ornamental
- pretty
- Kew at home
- wet
- extraordinary
- hot
- garden plants
- wild
- flowering
- rare
Follow Kew
Keep up to date with events and news from Kew
No comments on 'David Nash sculptures arrive in the Gallery'