Polly Morgan

Polly Morgan
Born

1980 (age 35–36)

Education George Jamieson, Edinburgh
Known for Taxidermy
Notable work Rabbit on Hat
For Sorrow
Still Life After Death (fox)
Website Polly Morgan Website

Polly Morgan (born 1980) is a London-based British artist who uses taxidermy to create works of art.[1][2][3][4]

Career

Morgan did not plan an art career; she considered becoming an actress after leaving school, but went to university instead.[5] Morgan graduated from Queen Mary, University of London, in English Literature in 2002.[4] During her studies, she worked in Shoreditch Electricity Showrooms, a bar popular with artists; after graduation, she continued to work there as manager.[2] Inspired to create work of her own she took a course with the professional taxidermist George Jamieson, of Cramond, in Edinburgh, during which her intuitive and personal response to the medium were obvious.[4]

Morgan's first four pieces caught the attention of Banksy: A lovebird looking in a mirror; a squirrel holding a belljar with a little fly perched inside on top of a sugar cube; a magpie with a jewel in its beak; and a couple of chicks standing on a miniature coffin'.[5][2] In 2005, he commissioned her to produce work for Santa's Ghetto, an annual exhibition he organised near London's Oxford Street.[4] Her next piece, a white rat curled up in a shallow champagne glass, was exhibited at Wolfe Lenkiewicz's Zoo Art Fair in 2005. That piece – 'Rest a Little on the Lap of Life' – was purchased before the show opened by Vanessa Branson.[2] Morgan works from a Bethnal Green studio.[1]

In 2009, Morgan sold her flying machine sculpture from the All Visual Arts (AVA) The Age of the Marvellous exhibition for between £85,000[4] and £95,000[6] to Thomas Olbricht, a German art collector.[6]

Morgan is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists.[4] The animals used in her taxidermy are contributed by vets or pet owners; the animals have died naturally or accidentally, for example they may have been roadkill. Morgan maintains a detailed log of all dead animals in stock.[7]

She is in many collections including the Zabludowicz collection and her magpie on a telephone is in the collection of Amanda Eliasch[8][9]

Exhibitions

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Collinge, Miranda (18 July 2010). "Polly Morgan's wings of desire". The Observer. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lane, Harriet (5 April 2008). "Polly Morgan: dead clever". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  3. ↑ Ryan, Denise (23 October 2009). "An 'authentic encounter' with the animals". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Philby, Charlotte (16 July 2010). "Death becomes her: Meet Polly Morgan, Britart's hottest property". The Independent. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  5. 1 2 Praagh, Anna van (9 July 2010). "The art of taxidermy". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  6. 1 2 Barker, Godfrey (19 March 2010). "How Mike Platt and Joe La Placa took over the contemporary art world". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  7. ↑ Morgan, Polly. "Introduction to Polly Morgan". Self published. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  8. ↑ The Evening Standard
  9. ↑ http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/polly-morgan-death-becomes-her-6459801.html

External links

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