Bill Woodrow

Artist’s Biography

Bill Woodrow (b. 1948 Henley-on-Thames) studied at Winchester School of Art and then in London at St. Martin’s School of Art followed by Chelsea College of Art and Design. 

In his early works, Woodrow used material found on the streets, remnants of our throwaway consumer society. These materials were mainly small domestic appliances and the finished works had the appearance of archeologically excavated objects.

As his work developed larger objects such as car parts, occasionally whole cars and large domestic appliances like washing machines and refrigerators were utilised. By this use of a wide variety of objects and re-contextualizing them completely, Woodrow’s art acquired an important narrative element. In the late 1980s, he changed the way he worked and began using other materials such as welded steel, bronze, glass and ceramics. 

His first solo exhibition was held at the Whitechapel Gallery in London in 1972. Important solo shows by Woodrow include Fool’s Gold, 1996, an exhibition of bronze sculptures in the Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain (London, UK) and Institut Mathildenhöhe (Darmstadt, Germany); Regardless of History for the Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square, London (2000) and The Beekeeper at the South London Gallery (2001). A major retrospective of his work was held at the Royal Academy between 7 November 2013 and 16 February 2014. 

Woodrow has work in public collections worldwide including Tate (London), Museum of Modern Art (New York), National Gallery of Canada (Ottowa), Museo Tamayo (Mexico City), Moderna Museet (Stockholm), Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller (Netherlands), MUDAM (Luxembourg), City Art Gallery (Auckland, New Zealand)

Woodrow represented Britain at the Biennals of Sydney 1982, Paris 1982 and 1985, São Paulo 1983 and 1991.

Woodrow was a finalist for the Turner Prize in 1986 and won the Annie Gerber Award, Seattle Museum of Art, USA, 1988. He was elected a Royal Academician, in the sculpture category in May 2002.