Image of Eye Benches sculpture, two large eyes sculpted from granite
Eye Benches by Louise Bourgeois

Sculpture exhibition returns

Jesus College's free biennial outdoor art showcase returns to Cambridge this summer, this year with an all-female line up.

Running from Monday 26 June to Sunday 17 September, Jesus College’s fifteenth Sculpture in the Close exhibition will be open to the public from 10am to 6pm each day.

Twenty artworks by nine featured artists will form a trail through the College grounds, set against the backdrop of its listed buildings – some of which date back to the 12th century.

Sculptors exhibiting this year include Rachel Whiteread, the first woman to win the Turner Prize, Cornelia Parker, official House of Commons Election Artist for the 2017 UK general election, and Louise Bourgeois.

Other installations come from Phyllida Barlow, who represented Great Britain at the 2017 Venice Biennale, and worldwide-known Kim Lim and Turner Prize nominees Mona Hatoum, Shirazeh Houshiary and Alison Wilding.

The exhibition also marks the return to Jesus College of work from Agnes Thurnauer, whose You triptych was displayed over two months in 2015, the first time that Thurnauer's work was shown in the UK.

Sculpture in the Close is curated by Jesus College’s Dr Rod Mengham, who said: “Once again we have a spectacular show to unveil this summer, with a wonderful array of work due to be installed.

“As well as showcasing a brilliant group of artists, our all-female line up anticipates the fortieth anniversary of the first admission of women undergraduates to Jesus College, which falls in 2019.

“Whether you are already a devotee of contemporary sculpture, or are discovering the medium for the first time, this year’s Sculpture in the Close will be an eye-opening and in some cases jaw-dropping experience.”

Sculpture in the Close will run alongside the College’s impressive permanent sculpture collection, which includes work by Barry Flanagan, Antony Gormley, Alison Wilding and Cornelia Parker.

Catalogues detailing each artist and the artworks on show will be available from the Porters’ Lodge at the main entrance to the College on Jesus Lane.