Art Funded by you

Large Blade Venus

William Turnbull, 1990

© William Turnbull 2007. All rights reserved, DACS

Large Blade Venus is the biggest sculpture in the Blade Venus series; balanced on its sharpest point, it exhibits a poised stillness. Its imposingly elegant form derives from Japanese Samurai swords and Chinese chopping knives, but also recalls natural objects such as leaves, as well as archaic figures of Venus. By paring the sculpture down to essentials, Turnbull avoids the restriction of a single interpretation, echoing the deliberate ambiguity of Zen paintings. Left open to external changes of context and presentation and to the imagination of the viewer, Large Blade Venus is representative of Turnbull's idea of sculpture as both completed product and ongoing process. It was purchased and presented to the Fitzwilliam Museum in honour of Sir Nicholas Goodison, The Art Fund's Chairman from 1986 to 2002, who has been a longstanding admirer of Turnbull's work.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Large Blade Venus, 1990

Date supported

2005

Medium and material

Bronze

Dimensions

317.5 x 99.1 x 68 cm

Grant

141000

Total cost

141000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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