John Hoyland: Imaginary Beings at The Henry Moore Institute
Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
John Hoyland: Imaginary Beings at The Henry Moore Institute is a showcase of sculptural work by the internationally known abstract painter. For most of his career he created vivid, large-scale images but in 1994, just before his 60th birthday, he created a group of sculptures.
Described by that Hoyland himself as “these mad little hybrids”, the sculptures are brightly coloured creatures, playful and experimental. They feature thick glaze and colourful blobs, closer to abstraction than they to realistic depictions of any creatures we may know. A selection of four sculptures is on display in conversation with four related paintings.
For many works, these works remained little known, and are finally shared with audiences now, with another show These Mad Hybrids: John Hoyland and Contemporary Sculpture at Millennium Galleries, Sheffield Museums, from February until May 2025.
