Fruitmarket and Hauser & Wirth Publishers launch ‘Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture, 1963–2023’ by Frances Morris—the definitive publication on the work of British sculptor Phyllida Barlow

‘[Phyllida Barlow] didn’t despair at the absurd. She kind of found it hilarious and full of hope because the absurdity prompts change.’—Frances Morris

This major monograph is a comprehensive survey of the work of Phyllida Barlow (1944 – 2023), charting the progression of the artist’s extraordinary and influential career. Lauded and loved by audiences, artists and critics, Barlow’s restless invented forms stretch the limits of mass, volume and height to challenge audiences into a new relationship with the sculptural object, the gallery environment, and the world beyond.

‘Sculpture, 1963–2023’ has its origins in a 2015 book that traced the development of Barlow’s sculptural language from its beginnings in the 1960s through to its expression in several major projects, including ‘dock,’ the 2014 Duveen Galleries Commission for Tate Britain, and ‘set,’ an exhibition of new work for Fruitmarket in Edinburgh in 2015. Authored by curator Frances Morris, who has made extensive additions to her original text, this new expanded edition features three new chapters by Morris, as well as a new introduction by Fruitmarket director Fiona Bradley. Documenting all six decades of the artist’s astonishing sculptures and expansive installations, it includes Barlow’s most recent important exhibitions: the British Pavilion for the Venice Biennale (2017), her Schwitters-Prize-winning exhibition at the Sprengel Museum in Hannover (2022) and her work for New York’s City Hall Park (2023).

Bradley commented: ‘Making books with and for artists is a key part of Fruitmarket’s vision and purpose. When Phyllida Barlow made her exhibition with us in 2015 it was clear she needed a book that celebrated her work and influence since 1963 and illustrated key recent projects as well as our own. It is a privilege now to produce this updated and expanded edition, ensuring it continues to serve Phyllida’s enduring legacy.’

Constructed from simple materials such as plywood, cardboard, fabric, plaster, paint, and plastic, Barlow’s physically impressive and materially insistent works ask questions about our relationships with objects and about objects’ relationships with us, inspired by the experience of living and looking. With illustrations of over 130 of her enduringly brilliant works, ‘Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture, 1963–2023’ is the indispensable resource on this important British sculptor.

‘Phyllida Barlow. unscripted,’ curated by Frances Morris, is on view at Hauser & Wirth Somerset through 5 January 2025.

About the Artist ​
​Over a career that spanned six decades, Phyllida Barlow (1944 – 2023) took inspiration from her surroundings to create imposing installations that can be at once menacing and playful. Barlow’s restless invented forms stretch the limits of mass, volume and height as they block, straddle and balance precariously. Barlow exhibited across institutions internationally, including: Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada (2023); Public Art Fund, New York NY (2023); Sprengel Museum, Hanover, Germany (2022); ARTIST ROOMS, Tate Modern, London, UK (2021); Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2021); The Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK (2019); La Biennale di Venezia, British Pavilion, Venice, Italy (2017); Duveen Commission at Tate Britain, London, UK (2014). In 2022, Barlow was awarded the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung’s Kurt Schwitters Prize.

About the Authors ​
​Frances Morris, Director Tate Modern from 2016 to 2023, is curator of ‘Phyllida Barlow. unscripted’ at Hauser & Wirth Somerset (on view through 5 January 2025) and author of the forthcoming monograph on the artist. She has made many exhibitions and publications, including acclaimed retrospectives of Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, and Agnes Martin, as well as Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life.

Fiona Bradley has been Director of Fruitmarket in Edinburgh since 2003, running it as an organisation that centres artists and empowers audiences. She has made exhibitions with artists including Karla Black, Lee Lozano, Tacita Dean, Eva Hesse and Martin Creed. In 2015, she curated Phyllida Barlow’s Fruitmarket exhibition, ‘set,’ and commissioned Frances Morris to write the accompanying book, which has now been expanded into this new publication.

Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture, 1963–2023
​Text by Frances Morris. Introduction by Fiona Bradley ​
​English ​
​Hardcover ​
​25 x 23 cm, 304 pages ​
​ISBN: 978-3-906915-93-7 ​
​£52 / $60 / €58

About Hauser & Wirth Publishers ​
​In keeping with Hauser & Wirth’s artist-centric vision, Hauser & Wirth Publishers works to bring readers into the universe of artists and behind the scenes of their practices. From publishing artists’ writings and exceptional exhibition-related books to commissioning new scholarship and pursuing the highest levels of craft in design and bookmaking, Hauser & Wirth Publishers creates vital, lasting records of artists’ work and ideas, forging critical gateways to the cultural discourse they inspire.

Through its Oral History Initiative, Hauser & Wirth Publishers is building an enduring record of artists’ voices for future generations. Additionally, the imprint publishes Ursula magazine, a bi-annual print and digital periodical that features essays, profiles, interviews, original portfolios, films and photography by thought-provoking writers and artists from around the world.

About Fruitmarket & Fruitmarket Publishing ​
​Fruitmarket is a free, public space for culture in the heart of Edinburgh, which provides inspiration and opportunity for artists and audiences. We programme, develop and present world-class exhibitions, commissions, publications, performances, events and engagement activities, opening up the artistic process. Creativity makes space for meaning, and we create a welcoming space for people to think with contemporary art and culture in ways that are helpful to them – for free.

Further information at fruitmarket.co.uk. Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

Fruitmarket Publishing is Scotland’s leading contemporary art publisher and has been producing books for artists and about art for much of its 50-year history. Our books follow no house style, instead we work directly with artists, curators and writers to make the book they and audiences need. Beautifully designed and produced, prioritising new writing and new photography of artists’ work, our books offer an opportunity for more people to connect with art and artists.

For additional information, please contact:

Francesca Cosslett ​
​francescacosslett@hauserwirth.com ​
​+44 (0) 7789 825 117

Louise Warmington ​
​louise@fruitmarket.co.uk ​
​+44 (0) 131 226 8182

Nicola Jeffs ​
​nj@nicolajeffs.com ​
​+44 (0) 7794694754

^{Caption and courtesy information:}

^{‘Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture, 1963–2023’ (2024) ​
​Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Publishers and Fruitmarket Publishing.}

^{Phyllida Barlow, Untitled 1, 1966 ​
​Installation view, Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK ​
​© Phyllida Barlow Estate ​
​Courtesy Phyllida Barlow Estate and Hauser & Wirth ​
​Photo: Fabian Peake}

^{Phyllida Barlow, untitled: dock: crushedtower, 2014 ​
​Installation view, dock, Duveen Commission, Tate Britain, London, UK ​
​© Phyllida Barlow Estate ​
​Courtesy Phyllida Barlow Estate and Hauser & Wirth ​
​Photo: Alex Delfanne}

^{‘Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture, 1963–2023’ (2024) ​
​Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Publishers and Fruitmarket Publishing.}

^{Dr. Michaela Unterdörfer, Executive Director Publications
​Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Publishers
​Photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke}

^{Hauser & Wirth Publishers Headquarters and Bookshop, Zurich, Switzerland
​© Hauser & Wirth Publishers
​Photo: Noë Flum}