Dimensions: object: 742 x 635 x 578 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Gertrude Hermes | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This bronze sculpture, "Lady Herbert" by Gertrude Hermes, has such a tangible presence. The rough texture of the bronze makes me wonder about the artist's process. What can you tell me about Hermes' approach to making this piece? Curator: The raw texture points to a direct engagement with the material. Hermes was known for her printmaking. How might the techniques and labour of printmaking inform her approach to sculpture? Considering the social context, what does it say about the traditional hierarchy of art and craft that she worked across these mediums? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think about how the value we place on materials like bronze, versus, say, wood or clay, shapes our perception of the artwork itself. Thanks for your insights! Curator: Indeed. Reflecting on the means of production expands our understanding beyond mere aesthetics.
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In the early 1920s Hermes met Alan, later Sir Alan, Patrick Herbert (1890-1971), and his wife Gwendolen (1892-1988). They were to become the artist's life-long friends and patrons. Hermes executed bronze portraits of Sir Alan in 1931, and of the Herberts' son, John, in 1949. Here Lady Herbert holds a cocktail glass, complete with olive, in her right hand, and rests her left arm on a vestigial chair. The treatment of the face is naturalistic and classical while greater freedom of expression is evident in the modelling of the torso. This work is Hermes's largest bronze portrait. This is a unique cast, and is inscribed from the sculptor to the sitter. Gallery label, August 2004
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