a nose in repose 1977 - 1979

Curator: Here we have Barry Flanagan’s intriguing sculpture, “a nose in repose,” a piece residing in the Tate Collections. The dimensions are roughly 89 x 75 x 30 centimeters. It's certainly a conversation starter. Editor: It certainly is! My first impression is one of playful monumentality. The rough stone atop those stacked wooden blocks creates a fascinating tension. Curator: I find the juxtaposition of materials quite striking. Flanagan, born in 1941, challenges our assumptions about sculpture by combining found natural stone with seemingly mass-produced wooden elements. It blurs the line between nature and industry, doesn’t it? Editor: Precisely! The spiral carving on the stone draws my eye—a formal element referencing classical sculpture perhaps, yet rendered in such a raw, almost primal way. The wood blocks are almost like a minimalist plinth, an unexpected base for this nose in repose. Curator: And consider the labor involved. The quarrying and shaping of the stone, the milling and assembly of the wood, all contribute to its meaning as an object of production. Editor: A fascinating exploration of form and material, wouldn't you say? Curator: Yes, indeed, a very intriguing work.