Carole Steyn (née Moss) (born 1938, in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

) is a British abstract and figurative painter, sculptor, pastellist and ceramicist who works with a wide range of materials and lives in London. Steyn's work draws on a range of influences, including her Russian Constructivism-inspired freestanding sculptures; and Bas-Reliefs reminiscent of Nevelson and Camargo.

Biography

Steyn studied at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

in Paris in 1953 and the

Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...

from 1954 to 1956, then studied sculpture at the

Camden Arts Centre Camden Art Centre (known as Hampstead Arts Centre until 1967 and Camden Arts Centre until 2020) is a contemporary art gallery in the London Borough of Camden, England. It hosts temporary exhibitions and educational outreach projects, with a prog ...

in 1968. Steyn had a series of solo exhibitions at the Drian Galleries in London in the 1970s. In 1973, 1974 and 1975 Steyn exhibited with the

Free Painters and Sculptors Free Painters and Sculptors (FPS) is an artist-led organisation based in London, England, which regularly exhibits every year. It played a pivotal role in the establishment of abstract art in the 1950s and 1960s. History Background FPS ...

at the Mall Galleries in London.'''' In 1974, 1975 and 1976 she exhibited with the

Women's International Art Club The Women's International Art Club, briefly known as the Paris International Art Club, was founded in Paris in 1900. The club was intended to "promote contacts between women artists of all nations and to arrange exhibitions of their work", and ...

at the Drian Galleries and Camden Arts Centre.U Richmond (2016)
Women's International Art Club (WIAC)
Archives Hub. Accessed September 2016. In 1988, Steyn featured in ''Out of the Doll's House'', a BBC2 mini series of eight films, which explored the way women's lives have changed in the 20th century. Steyn also took part in ''Hanging Out'', a project to explore youth culture both now and in the 1950s and 1960s. Commenting on her time at Saint Martin's School of Art during the 1950s, she said "We were called beatniks sometimes and adopted maybe some so-called Bohemian attitudes at St. Martins…".

Early career

Steyn's early abstract relief work used organic materials such as eggs, nuts and seeds to create seabed effects which reflected her interest in the emotive power of the sea. Her ''Seabed'' collages captured the flow, colour and rhythm of the ocean floor. In her Blue Seabed Manifesto, Steyn said "The deep blue sea has a moody and turbulent vibe. It also bears mystical and fertility connotations." A favourite of Drain Galleries during the 1970s and 1980s, Steyn's solo exhibitions included works using the medium of nylon bonded clay to produce rippling floriform shapes which conveyed the force of growth and the dynamic, swirling movements of water.James Burr, 'Around the Galleries', ''Apollo'' Magazine, Vol C1, No.160, June 1975, p. 480. Retrieved 2 February 2019. Steyn exhibited multiple styles of sculpture and relief for her 1981 solo show at the Drian which celebrated themes centred around nature, life and death. The ''Fertility'' section used eggs and nuts as symbols of the life force and her ''Flow'' series was a development of her 1975 exhibition. The ''Bones'' series consisted of bones constructed into collage bas-reliefs and her ''Universal Trees of Life'' works celebrated the continuity of nature. By her 1985 solo exhibition Steyn's collages and sculptures were smaller and more painterly, exhibited alongside nine large abstract oil paintings which hinted at the essence of light. Her accompanying manifesto included the following statements: "living art is a struggle between formal perfection and creative emotion" and "my only security is the knowledge that sometimes I may be able to make something beautiful".

Solo exhibitions

* 1971, ''Abstract relief, eggs, nuts'', Drian Gallieries, London * 1975, ''New Abstract reliefs, Flow period'', Drian Gallieries, London * 1981, ''First Retrospective Exhibition'', Drian Gallieries, London * 1985, ''Abstract oil paintings and new abstract collages'', Drian Gallieries, London * 1987, ''Reliefs and Paintings and Pastels'', Jablonski Gallery, London * 1991, ''Oils, Pastels, Drawings, Prints'', Galerie Harounoff, LondonWomen's International Art Club
Artist Biographies: British and Irish Artists of the 20th Century. Accessed July 2016.

Group exhibitions

* 1968, ''Abstract relief'', Redmark Gallery, London * 1972,

Mansard Gallery Heal's (originally Heal & Son) is a British furniture and Home decor retailer, homeware retail company comprising seven stores, selling a range of furniture, lighting and home accessories based in London, England. The business was started in 1 ...

, Heal's, London * 1972, O'Hana Gallery, London * 1973,

, The Mall Galleries, London * 1973, ''Sculptures and Reliefs'', Drian Galleries, London * 1973, Ben Uri Gallery, London * 1974,

, The Mall Galleries, London * 1974, ''The Feminine Eye'',

, Drian Galleries, LondonU Richmond (2016)
Women's International Art Club (WIAC)
Archives Hub. Accessed September 2016. * 1975, ''FPS Trends 1975: Painting and Sculpture'',

, The Mall Galleries, London * 1975,

, London * 1976,

, London

Galleries and museums

Steyn's work is held in the following collections, galleries and museums. * The Schools Collection, Sheffield, UK * National Museum, Warsaw, Poland * National Museum, Gdańsk, Poland

References

External links

BBC series Out of the Doll's House
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steyn, Carole 1938 births Living people 20th-century English painters 21st-century English painters Académie Julian alumni Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art Painters from Manchester English modern painters 20th-century English women painters 21st-century English women painters