Lisa Le Feuvre
Lisa Le Feuvre is a curator, writer, editor and public speaker. In 2017 she was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of Holt/Smithson Foundation, an artist endowed foundation that aims to continue the creative and investigative legacies of the artists Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson.
Between 2010 and 2017 Le Feuvre was Head of Sculpture Studies at the Henry Moore Institute, a part of the Henry Moore Foundation. Directing the research component of the largest artist foundation in Europe, she led a programme of education, research, publications and exhibitions. She curated exhibitions that include Jiro Takamatsu: The Temperature of Sculpture, The Body Extended: Sculpture and Prosthetics, Gego: Line as Object, Katrina Palmer: The Necropolitan Line and The Event Sculpture and edited the Institute’s journal Essays on Sculpture.
Prior to this she co-curated the quinquennial exhibition British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet with Tom Morton, taught on the post-graduate Curatorial Programme at Goldsmiths College, led the contemporary art programme at the National Maritime Museum, and until 2004 was Course Director of the post-graduate programme in Arts Policy and Management at Birkbeck College, University of London. Alongside leading Holt/Smithson Foundation, Le Feuvre was on the 2018 Turner Prize Jury and has been on numerous panels, including those for the British representation at Venice Biennale and The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture. She is a non-executive Director of Book Works and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Artists’ Lives, a part of the British Library’s National Life Stories oral history programme.
Life
Le Feuvre was born in Guernsey, Channel Islands and lives in London. She studied Social Sciences, Architecture, Arts Management, and Visual Cultures.Activities
Curating
Le Feuvre began her career in museums and galleries organising the public programme at The Photographers' Gallery in London until 2001, which featured talks, discussions, live events and film screenings. Subsequently she led the public programme at Tate Britain and the Parknights summer programme of lectures and screenings at the London’s Serpentine Gallery. Between 2004 and 2009 she co-directed, with Edgar Schmitz, the roving discussion series A Conversation in Many Parts that invited thinkers to address key cultural questions unscripted.In 2000 she co-founded the project space Hoxton Distillery in London, an experimental gallery dedicated to solo exhibitions. In 2003-4 she was invited to work as Programme Curator at The Photographers' Gallery in a one year post, where she led on exhibitions including Hashem El Madani: Studio Practices and Mediterranean: Between Reality and Utopia. In 2003 she curated Gordon Matta-Clark: The Space Between at CCA, Glasgow and the Architectural Association, London. The following year she extensively researched the journal Avalanche in preparation for an exhibition at Chelsea Space.
In 2010 Le Feuvre co-curated, with Tom Morton, British Art Show 7: in the Days of the Comet, the quinquennial response to art being made in Britain, Showing thirty-nine artists the exhibition was presented in Nottingham, at the Hayward Gallery, London; in Glasgow and at Plymouth Arts Consortium.
National Maritime Museum
Between 2005 and 2009 Le Feuvre was Curator of Contemporary Art at National Maritime Museum, London, directing the New Visions programme that presented solo exhibitions by Renee Green, Dan Holdsworth, Jeremy Millar, Simon Patterson, Esther Shalev-Gerz and Lawrence Weiner.Stills Centre for Photography
Le Feuvre curated the summer exhibition at Stills in Edinburgh between 2006 and 2010, working with artists including Simon Faithfull, Joachim Koester, Alexander and Susan Maris and Stephen Sutcliffe.Henry Moore Institute
In November 2010, Le Feuvre became Head of the Henry Moore Institute, a part of the Henry Moore Foundation. Running the research component of the largest artist foundation in Europe, she directed a programme of education, publications and exhibitions of the highest standard, led the Leeds Museums & Galleries Sculpture Collection, one of the strongest public collections of British sculpture, and sat on the Foundation's Grants Committee. During her tenure Le Feuvre was instrumental in developing the vision and external profile of the Foundation, led by the core values of Henry Moore. While directing the Institute she raised the international profile of the Institute, initiated sustainable links with local communities and implemented effective business working practices, striving to create a new model for an artist foundation.Her curated exhibitions at Henry Moore Institute include solo exhibitions with Michael Dean, Robert Filliou, Gego, Ian Kiaer, Sarah Lucas, Mario Merz, Paul Neagu, Jiro Takamatsu, Dennis Oppenheim and Katrina Palmer and the group exhibitions The Event Sculpture, The Body Extended; Sculpture and Prosthetics and A Lesson in Sculpture with John Latham.
Holt/Smithson Foundation
In 2017 Le Feuvre was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the Holt/Smithson Foundation, that continues the creative and investigative spirit of Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, artists who worked in the conceptual and land art traditions.Teaching
Teaching has been an important part of Le Feuvre's activities. She has developed programmes at Chelsea School of Art and Design, Sotheby’s Institute and London Southbank University. She was Course Director of MA Arts Policy and Management at Birkbeck College for six years and for six years was Senior Lecturer on the Curatorial Programme in the Department of Art, Goldsmiths, University of London. Le Feuvre regularly delivers guest lectures at universities, examines doctoral study and acts as External Examiner to curatorial and fine art programmes.Writing and editing
Editorial work includes the Henry Moore Institute’s journal ‘Essays on Sculpture', the MIT Press compilation 'Failure' in the MIT / Whitechapel Art Gallery’s 'Documents on Contemporary Art' series and the second issue of 'NOIT,' the journal of John Latham's Flat Time House, on the topic of burning.Since 2000 Le Feuvre has contributed to art journals and written extensively in publications on topics that include prosthetics, sculpture and failure.
Curated Exhibitions
2017
“Aleksandra Domanović: Votives,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“Jiro Takamatsu: The Temperature of Sculpture”, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
2016
“A Lesson in Sculpture with John Latham,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“Eleanor Antin: ‘CARVING: A Traditional Sculpture’,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“The Body Extended; Sculpture and Prosthetics,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
2015
“Eileen Agar: Natural Ready-mades,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“Paul Neagu: Palpable Sculpture,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Katrina Palmer: The Necropolitan Line,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Christine Kozlov: Information”, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
2014
“Sculptors Papers from the Henry Moore Institute,” Whitechapel Gallery, London“The Event Sculpture”, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Thomas Houseago,” for Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, Leeds Art Gallery and Yorkshire Sculpture Park
“Ian Kiaer: Tooth House,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds; Focal Point, Southend
“D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson: On Growth and Form,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Lygia Clark: Organic Planes,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds; Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green
2013
“Robert Filliou: The Institute of Endless Possibilities,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“Dennis Oppenheim: Thought Collision Factories,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Gego: Line as Object,” Hamburger Kunsthalle, Stuttgart Kunstmuseum and Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
2012
“Michael Dean: Government,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“John McCracken: ‘IV’ and ‘Neon’,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Vlassis Caniaris: Composition,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Sarah Lucas: Ordinary Things,” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
“Landscape into Sculpture: Six Film Interruptions, “National Film Theatre, London
“Salon Selection,” S1, Sheffield
2011
“Henry Moore: Prints and Portfolios”, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds“Mario Merz: What Is To Be Done?” Henry Moore Institute, Leeds and Bildmuseet, Umea, Sweden
“Stephen Sutcliffe: Runaway, Success,” Stills, Edinburgh
2010
“Alexander and Susan Maris: The Pursuit of Fidelity,” Stills, Edinburgh“Jeremy Millar: Amongst Others,” Plymouth Arts Centre
“Donald Smith’s Partial History of Exhibitions 1993-2010,” Chelsea Space, London
“British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet”, with Nottingham Contemporary; Nottingham Castle Museum; New Art Exchange; Hayward Gallery, London
CCA; Tramway; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow; Plymouth Arts Consortium
2009
“Renée Green: Endless Dreams and Water Between,” National Maritime Museum, London“Jeremy Millar: Given,” National Maritime Museum, London
“Joachim Koester: Poison Protocols and Other Histories,” Stills, Edinburgh
2008
“Simon Patterson: The Undersea World and Other Stories,” National Maritime Museum, London“Jem Finer: Longplayer,” Royal Observatory Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, London
“Economies of Attention: Leisure, Resistance, Desire and Labour,” Arts Council of England National Office, London
2007
“Esther Shalev-Gerz: Echoes in Memory,” National Maritime Museum, London“Lawrence Weiner: Inherent in the Rhumb Line,” National Maritime Museum, London
2006
“Dan Holdsworth: At the Edge of Space Parts 1 – 3,” National Maritime Museum, London; Stills, Edinburgh“Simon Faithfull: Iceblink,” Stills, Edinburgh; Parkers Box, New York; Cell, London
“Dennis Oppenheim: Recall,” MOT, London
2005
“Avalanche 1970-1976,” Chelsea Space, London2004
“Hashem El Madani: Studio Practices”. The Photographers’ Gallery“Pierre Bourdieu: In Algeria: Testimonies of Uprooting”, The Photographers’ Gallery, London
“Donovan Wylie: The Maze, ” The Photographers’ Gallery, London
“Citigroup Photography Prize 2004,” The Photographers’ Gallery
“Mediterranean: Between Reality and Utopia,” The Photographers’ Gallery, London
2003
“Gordon Matta-Clark: The Space Between,” CCA, Glasgow; Architectural Association, London“Edgar Schmitz: i n s u l a t o r,” 1000000mph Project Space, London
2001
“Simon Woolham,” Hoxton Distillery, London“Richard Couzins, “Hoxton Distillery, London
“Neil Chapman & Steven Claydon,” Hoxton Distillery, London
“Close To You: Tom Gleeson and Claudine Hartzel,” Hoxton Distillery, London
“The Poster The Show”, Hoxton Distillery, London
2000
“Sodium Blindness,” APT Gallery, London“The Reflective Surface / Where Did You Find Me?” Cable Factory, Helsinki; Fargfabriken, Stockholm; Fotogalerie, Vienna; Incubator, London; James Hockey Gallery, Farnham
“Photocine: David Shrigley and Gregory Crewdson,” Curzon Soho, London; Clapham Picture House; Stratford East Picture House, London; Duke of York’s Picture House, Brighton; Exeter Picture House; Cambridge Picture House; Phoenix Picture House, Oxford