Beverly Pepper's First UK Solo Exhibition Features 12 Small Corten Steel Sculptures

Beverly Pepper's first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom presents 12 small-scale sculptures from her 2014 Curvae series, crafted from Corten steel. These works, including individually titled pieces like Pompea, Drusilla, Livia, and Octavia, feature bowed and welded sheets formed into C-shapes, U-shapes, and tubular ellipses displayed on white plinths. Pepper, born in 1922, studied in Paris under Fernand Léger and has resided in Italy since the 1950s, where she pioneered Corten steel's artistic use. Known for monumental public sculptures globally, this exhibition deliberately excludes her large-scale works, focusing instead on intimate pieces that intensify through reduced scale and greater number. The sculptures emphasize modernist autonomy, with forms appearing simple yet complex through elemental curves, torques, and parabolas. About half incorporate deliberately melted and pitted metal patches, creating focal points that disrupt pristine curvatures. Objects shift perception from different angles, such as Livia's swoosh revealing a precarious position when reversed or Octavia's edges creating fluctuating trajectories. The exhibition originally appeared in ArtReview's October 2014 issue, highlighting how these smaller works convey Pepper's practice essence without the gravitas of colossal pieces.