Ground force: Simon Phipps puts British post-war public art in the frame

Tracey Emin once said that art is for everyone. The sentiment still resonates with British fashion designer Margaret Howell, who feels passionately about public sculpture. ‘It’s a gift to us all,’ she says. ‘It’s a pleasure to see art become part of a location, it really can enrich people’s lives.’
Last year, Howell took a trip to London's Courtauld Gallery to see an exhibition called ‘Out There: Our Post-War Public Art’. The show charted the conception and conservation of public artworks created in England between 1945 and 1985, and featured sculptures by the likes of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Elisabeth Frink. ‘It was just so impressive,’ she recalls. ‘That was a brilliant era, when modern pieces were more commonly commissioned for communal spaces.’
‘Out There’ inspired the concept behind Howell’s new exhibition, ‘British Post-War Public Art’, which is now on display at her brand’s Wigmore Street store. ‘I had seen some fantastic photographs that Simon Phipps had taken of British sculptures,’ she explains. ‘So, we asked him to document even more, especially for us.’ Above Ercol furnishings and small ceramic displays hang 18 of Phipps’ bold, texture-rich photographs of some of Britain’s most renowned public works, which remain unspoiled and in their original settings. ‘It’s a celebration of these wonderful sculptures as they are now,’ she affirms.
Apollo Pavilion, Peterlee, by Victor Pasmore.
In one image, Phipps has lensed Richard Serra’s Fulcrum (1987) from the ground upwards, in order to emphasise the scale of the imposing, wigwam-like structure that’s nestled between skyscrapers in London’s Broadgate. ‘That’s one of my favourite shots, Serra’s sculpture looks so powerful,’ notes Howell. Another photograph depicts Lynn Chadwick’s The Watchers (1969–70) in the leafy grounds of Roehampton University. The set of three bronzes was famously stolen in 2006, before being found and re-installed in its original location last year. ‘It’s such a shame when public sculptures are vandalised, it changes the landscape completely,’ she says. ‘I believe that all sculptures, no matter how surprising, can grow on you and become familiar.’
Howell also regards Phipps’ portrayal of Barbara Hepworth’s abstract Four-Square (Walk Through) (1966) at Churchill College, Cambridge as a focal point. The striking photograph, together with 11 other images from the show, also form the label’s 2018 calendar of the same name. ‘A calendar is great because it allows people to incorporate these works into their daily lives in a more causal way,’ she says. ‘Because art really is for everybody.’
Left, The Watchers, Roehampton University, by Lynn Chadwick. Right, Oscillation, Cambridge, by Kenneth Martin.
Left, 2MS Series No.1, Milton Keynes, by Bernard Schottlander. Right, Four-Square (Walk Through), Churchill College, Cambridge, by Barbara Hepworth.
Installation view of 'British Post-War Public Art’ at Margaret Howell's Wigmore Street store
Left, Fulcrum, Broadgate, London, by Richard Serra. Right, Minutemen, Salford, by William Mitchell.
Declaration, Beaumanor Hall, Leicestershire, by Phillip King
Left, Pimlico Cooling Tower, London, by Eduardo Paolozzi. Right, Two-Piece Reclining Figure No. 3, Brandon Estate, London, by Henry Moore.
INFORMATION
‘British Post-War Public Art’ is on view until 22 October. For more information, visit the Magaret Howell website
ADDRESS
34 Wigmore Street
London
WIU 2RS
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Promemoria’s new furniture takes you from London to Lake Como, with love
Ahead of its Milan Design Week 2025 debut, we try out Promemoria’s new furniture collection by David Collins Studio, at founder Romeo Sozzi’s Lake Como villa
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?
We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to time
A serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
Tate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A portrait of the artist: Sotheby’s puts Grayson Perry in the spotlight
For more than a decade, photographer Richard Ansett has made Grayson Perry his muse. Now Sotheby’s is staging a selling exhibition of their work
By Hannah Silver Published
-
From counter-culture to Northern Soul, these photos chart an intimate history of working-class Britain
‘After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989 – 2024’ is at Edinburgh gallery Stills
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Celia Paul's colony of ghostly apparitions haunts Victoria Miro
Eerie and elegiac new London exhibition ‘Celia Paul: Colony of Ghosts’ is on show at Victoria Miro until 17 April
By Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou Published
-
Teresa Pągowska's dreamy interpretations of the female form are in London for the first time
‘Shadow Self’ in Thaddaeus Ropac’s 18th-century townhouse gallery in London, presents the first UK solo exhibition of Pągowska’s work
By Sofia Hallström Published
-
Sylvie Fleury's work in dialogue with Matisse makes for a provocative exploration of the female form
'Drawing on Matisse, An Exhibition by Sylvie Fleury’ is on show until 2 May at Luxembourg + Co
By Hannah Silver Published
-
What to see at BFI Flare film festival, 'a rich tapestry of queer experience'
As one of the only film festivals to explicitly profile LGBTQI+ cinema, BFI Flare Film Festival remains a unique and beloved event. Here's what to see as it makes its return to London from 19 - 30 March
By Billie Walker Published
-
The enduring appeal of Transport for London’s seat designs
From artist Rita Keegan’s new collage to fashion designer Adam Jones’ Overground suit, TfL moquettes continue to enjoy a cult status
By Kyle MacNeill Published