Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life
Ronald Moody working on plaster model of 'Savacou Maquette', Fleming Close Studio Fulham 1963
About the exhibition
Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life brings the work of the Jamaican-born, West London–based sculptor back to the city where he lived, worked and carved for more than half a century. Touring from The Hepworth Wakefield, this major exhibition showcases the breadth of Moody’s practice across sculpture, poetry, writing and audio broadcasts. The show offers an expansive view of one of the most important yet historically overlooked artists of the twentieth century.
Moody’s story is one of continual reinvention. Trained initially in dentistry, his encounters with Egyptian sculpture in the British Museum led him to teach himself carving. He developed a sculptural language that blended Modernism, spirituality and a deep engagement with global mythologies. From the wooden figures he made in the 1930s to his post‑war experimentation with concrete and resin, Moody’s practice reveals a lifelong commitment to exploring human experience through form, rhythm and material.
The exhibition traces this journey in full, from his early London and Paris years to the wartime period that shaped some of his most striking work.
Partnerships and supporters
Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life organised by The Hepworth Wakefield in collaboration with Orleans House Gallery. With artistic and curatorial collaboration from Kedisha Coakley and with support from Arts Council England and the Weston Loan Fund.
