Nicole Farhi: Folds

About

Folds is a new series by Nicole Farhi in which she explores the beauty of the human figure, focusing
on the shapes and curves formed by folds of flesh on parts of the female body.
Inviting two friends to sit for the portraits – Sue Tilley, former muse of Lucian Freud, and Paola Barone
– Farhi cast areas of their bodies in plaster, creating life-size replicas of their curves, before casting the
sculptures in Jesmonite and bronze. With each piece depicting different sections of the body, the
finished works are abstract in their appearance. Featuring over 20 sculptures, Folds at Beaux Arts will
be Nicole Farhi’s largest solo exhibition to date.
Farhi was tutored and mentored by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, one of the most important and innovative
British sculptors of the twentieth century. She has been sculpting for over 30 years – throughout her
career as a fashion designer and full-time for the past seven years.
Nicole Farhi says of her new series Folds: “The human form and the emotions it elicits has been an
enduring theme in my sculptural work. Following my last exhibition focusing on the human hand, I
wanted to continue looking at parts of the human body; this time exploring the powerful beauty of
flesh, curves and the sexual energy large women have.”