Sir Jacob Epstein: Babies And Bloomsbury

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), pioneer of modernism and distinguished portrait sculptor, made many portraits of children throughout his career. This exhibition, curated by Gill Hedley, explores Epstein’s love of children as a subject matter by bringing together a remarkable selection of his moving bronzes and drawings of babies and children, including members of his own family.

Epstein made his first sculptures of babies as a young man in Paris, becoming even more compelled by the subject on becoming a father in 1918. He worked from a number of studios in the Bloomsbury area and, from 1916, lived in a house which overlooked the Foundling Hospital, close to his beloved British Museum - a place of inspiration for Epstein.

This exhibition features bronzes, drawings and archive photographs of the artist, his children and their mothers, and explores Epstein’s life in Bloomsbury in the shadow of the Foundling Hospital.