This little plaster sculpture of a female head belonged to my Grandma, Mary Cockett. She lived in a sewing box (the head not my Grandma…) for several years. Recently I rediscovered her.

She’s by an artist called Ken Hughes.

I also have a catalogue for a Ken Hughes exhibition at Browse & Darby, London, 1995. Possibly where my Grandma bought the sculpture. I hadn’t opened the catalogue until now.

Inside the catalogue was a folded photocopy.

On the other side was a hand written letter to my Grandma from the artist. He tells her that the head was based on Dance in Baden-Baden by Max Beckmann, 1923.

The original painting is at Museum Frieder Burda.

Ken Hughes taught at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham. References to him online are few. Luckily the catalogue has a lot of information. It lists a number of exhibitions including Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery (1969). It also lists work in Public Collections including, my museum, Birmingham City Art Gallery (now Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery).

One catalogue and object file search later I find the The Well Made Play, Wooden Construction, Sculpture, 1969, 1973P110. Here it is. In black and white. Because that was museum photography in the 1970s.

Here’s the press release saying it was funded by the Friends of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery and the rather fabulous sounding Provincial Galleries Sculpture Purchase Scheme (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation).

Nice.

But somewhat sobering for artists. Ken Hughes appears to have had a successful long career. Yet he is little known now.

FIN