The Press, York, UK
March 26 2010
York woodworkers to recreate Arshile Gorky’s rocking horse for Tate Modern
12:50pm Friday 26th March 2010
By Charles Hutchinson »
Tate Modern has commissioned York woodcarver Iain Broadbent and
furniture maker John Watts to recreate a rocking horse made by Arshile
Gorky, whose retrospective exhibition will run at London gallery until
May 3.
Gorky, alongside Rothko, Pollock and de Kooning, was one of the most
powerful American painters of the 20th century and a seminal figure in
the formation of Abstract Expressionism.
Although best known for his paintings, he was a skilled carpenter too,
having been taught by his uncle in his native Armenia, and he created
the rocking horse for his daughter, Maro, in 1943.
The original is now fragile, so much so that it was too delicate to be
relocated to Iain and John’s studio. Instead they had to make their
copy by working from templates, photographs and detailed measurements
to replicate Gorky’s original method.
Iain has worked on many woodcarving and restoration projects around
Britain, and multiple examples of his work can be found on the streets
of York, for example the carved Merchant Adventurers sign on Fossgate
and the restoration of the coat of arms above the Jigsaw shop on
Stonegate.
John creates traditional and contemporary furniture for private and
corporate clients nationwide, and his past commissions in York include
a desk for the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and a display cabinet for
the Land Registry in James Street.
Both artists will be taking part in the 2010 York Open Studios from
April 16 to 18, when 55 artists will open their doors to show how and
where they work. For more details, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk
¢ Arshile Gorky’s retrospective at Tate Modern includes paintings and
drawings from across his career and a handful of rarely seen
sculptures. Born in Armenia, he arrived in the USA in 1920 after
fleeing from persecution in his home country and adopted the name
Arshile Gorky with reference to the Russian writer Maxim Gorky.
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