Exhibition: Grinling Gibbons: Centuries in the Making

Centuries in the Making has been organized by the Grinling Gibbons Society as part of a year-long festival of nationwide events, Grinling Gibbons 300.

The exhibition showcases seminal works distinctive in Gibbons' uniquely exuberant style. It investigates his personality and how his ambition and business acumen helped catapult him from a lowly start in Rotterdam to attracting royal commissions during the swaggering reign of Charles II in England and ultimately reaching the pinnacle role of King's Carver for William and Mary. Exhibits demonstrate his profound influence on woodcarving and sculpture across the subsequent three centuries.

The work of contemporary carvers, including finalists in the Grinling Gibbons Tercentenary Award will be shown alongside the astonishing artistry of the man who inspired them.