The Sculpture Agency in The Times

Sean Henry:
'Conflux' at Salisbury Cathedral

They tell me that newspapers are in crisis and that readerships are falling and that the recent News of the World phone-hacking scandal has left an irreparable dent in the reputation of Fleet Street. But I have to admit that when The Times turns its benevolent eye on one of your projects one does still feel the warm glow that comes with traditional press endorsement.

So a big hooray and thank you to The Times's arts editor Huon Mallalieu who, having received my last newsletter, this morning acknowledged the efforts of The Sculpture Agency to promote contemporary sculpture (The Times page 24). The purpose of The Sculpture Agency is simple. It is to communicate the work of serious contemporary sculptors in an intelligent and critical way to as broad an audience as possible.

I do intend to extend the Agency into a commercial operation as well in the coming weeks by making it possible for sculptors (particularly those with no formal gallery representation) to sell their works online. But the overriding objective is to encourage a more critical awareness of what sculpture is and how the UK is particularly well-endowed with sculptural talent.

As usual, if you're a sculptor and would like your work represented by The Sculpture Agency, please contact me. I can't guarantee that I will accept every application as I exercise a rigorous quality control over the kind of work I include. But all approaches are welcome.

Sean Henry, Italia

Meanwhile The Times piece gave a well-earned nod to Jodie Carey's work at Leighton House Museum, to James Capper's work at Glyndebourne and elsewhere, and to Sean Henry's current exhibition of polychrome figure sculptures at Salisbury Cathedral (above left and right).

Sean's show has been drawing huge crowds to Salisbury Cathedral who clearly find his figures in a variety of scales utterly compelling in this quiet Gothic interior. Sean has invited me to write the text for a catalogue he is producing with Scala publishers to mark the exhibition. I'm very pleased to have accepted as the works look marvellous in a cathedral setting normally reserved for figures of the saints and apostles. If you're heading westwards in the coming weeks, I urge you to stop off in Salisbury and take a look at the show. It's no exaggeration to say that it's one of the most stimulating exhibitions in the country at present.

Watch this space for more news of the catalogue.