The San Diego Museum of Art hosts Richard Deacon: What You See Is What You Get, the renowned contemporary sculptor’s first major museum survey in the United States. On view beginning March 25, 2017, through July 25, 2017, the exhibition includes roughly 40 works from more than three decades of Richard Deacon’s oeuvre.

A self-proclaimed “fabricator,” Deacon uses everyday materials such as laminated wood, linoleum and limestone. His abstract forms, which challenge viewers’ expectations in terms of the limitations of materials and their unusual combinations, have placed him at the forefront of British sculpture since the 1980s. He was awarded the Tate’s prestigious Turner Prize in 1987, and received a major retrospective at the Tate in 2014. He exhibits frequently in Europe and worldwide, and remains a major force in the field of contemporary sculpture.

The show’s title What You See Is What You Get is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Deacon’s style – while the title of his work can appear literal, they are often meant to invoke a range of metaphors, and mythological and literary allusions. The featured works range in scale and materials, from truly monumental works such as Distance No Object, an 8-½ ft.-by-20 ft. curved cylindrical tube constructed from ten circular segments of steel, to more colorful, intimate pieces like the Some More for the Road series. 

“It is a great privilege to be the organizers of Richard Deacon’s first major American museum survey, and an even greater honor to collaborate with an acclaimed international artist of this caliber,” said Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director at The San Diego Museum of Art. “As the organizers of Richard Deacon: What You See Is What You Get, we’re able to further demonstrate the Museum’s renewed emphasis on the art of sculpture and our ongoing commitment to contemporary art.” 

Along with loans from private collections as well as from institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., this exhibition will debut a new work by the artist. Richard Deacon has donated Under the Weather No1 to the Museum. It measures over 10 feet high and is the first of a series. It is also the title of an exhibition he currently has on display in Neuss, Germany. 

Richard Deacon: What You See Is What You Get was conceived by the Museum’s Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Education, Anita Feldman, whose working relationship with Deacon began during her tenure at The Henry Moore Foundation. Organized in San Diego by Dr. Ariel Plotek, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, the exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue with contributions from Dr. Plotek as well as Robin Clark, Director of The Artist Initiative at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. There will also be an audio tour available on the Museum’s app where Richard Deacon will share insights on the works of art on view. As part of the programming for the exhibition, Richard Deacon will provide a lecture for members, and there will be an interview with the artist by Anita Feldman that is open to the public.