“The first comprehensive study published on Barker's sculpture”

Clive Barker attained sculptural maturity in 1966. His work was exhibited at high-profile galleries in London and in Europe, and has since been included in numerous surveys and international exhibitions of Pop Art. By replicating functional, mass-produced objects in gleaming metals, Barker redefined Marcel Duchamp's concept of the 'ready-made'. His recreations of the ordinary awaken a sense of amazement at the beauty of the familiar, reinventing the surrounding world, giving his art a life-enhancing quality. Questioning the privileged status of art, yet revealing a passionate commitment to the history of art, Barker investigates the fundamentals of both traditional and modernist sculpture.

Marco Livingstone provides a focused analysis of Barker's creative engagement, spanning over forty years.

An Jo Fermon follows with an informative essay, exploring the use of the materials, method, techniques and production. Her catalogue raisonné illustrates and documents for the first time the work from 1958 until the year 2000, revealing stylistic consistency throughout its development, embracing Conceptualism, Surrealism and Pop Art.

This extensive critical study celebrates a life and art that formed a particularly important part in the evolution of Pop Art sculpture.