West Cornwall visit to Naum Gabo Exhibition

What an absorbing tour we had on Saturday at the Naum Gabo exhibition at Tate St Ives. Led by our guide Suzanna, we discovered the principles Naum Gabo adopted in his work, how he utilised them and how he developed them over time.

Hearing his stated principles laid down in his “Realistic Manifesto” 1920 allowed us to understand more of his subsequent work as he sought to divorce himself from the principles of form, mass, volume and colour, whilst using innovative materials of the time.

Suzanna really brought Naum Gabo to life in her descriptions, not only if his work, but also his family background and career history. His forced itinerant lifestyle led to many pieces being designed to be capable of dis-assembly and re-assembly much in the style of modern “flat-pack” items.

Many pieces in the exhibition focus on his work exploring the relationship between space and time and how his background in medicine, engineering and architecture informed his whole approach during his career.

Most intriguing was his relationships with British artists, particularly Peter Lanyon and others working in St Ives during that period, who he both knew personally, as well as influenced, and we heard a touching letter Naum Gabo wrote explaining his wish to donate works to the Tate in London because of his close relationship to this country.

This tour demonstrated the worth to our Society members of these visits, as it enabled those on the tour to understand more about the artist and view his works in a more enlightened and educated way. Thanks to Carrie Baker & Joy Meaden for organising the event for us & to Paul Hunter for taking the photos.

For more information about the Naum Gabo exhibition at Tate St Ives CLICK HERE