Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures
Drawing from the artist’s extensive archive at the Henry Moore Institute, this biography undertakes the monumental task of capturing Helen Chadwick’s life. It reveals a lifetime of intense focus on the overlooked and unconventional aspects of human experience.
Helen Chadwick (1953–96) was a precisely detailed artist. Although her work involved materials like hair, flesh, meat, flowers, and decaying vegetables, her art was far from arbitrary; it was carefully planned and meticulous.
Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures highlights the time and dedication behind her apparent ease in creating such provocative art. The biography condenses forty-two years of her life into a collection of pages filled with words and images, many sourced from her archive at the Henry Moore Institute.
Structure of the Biography
- Six main chapters
- Four essays
- Two interviews
Chronological Narrative
The first essay, written by editor Laura Smith and covering nearly half the book, follows Chadwick's life and career in chronological order. Smith presents the artist as defiant from the beginning, shaped by her mother’s Greek heritage, the wildlife around their British middle-class home, and most importantly, her own body.
"Smith portrays the artist as defiant from the very start, influenced by her mother’s Greek heritage, the looming wildlife behind their middle-class British bungalow, and undeniably, her body."
Author's Summary
This biography illuminates Helen Chadwick’s meticulous artistry and unique focus on marginalized elements of life, framed by rich archival materials and thoughtful essays.