Ron Mueck Exhibition Catalogue

Ron Mueck's sculpture first came to major critical attention during the Sensation exhibition. Usually cast in silicone, fibreglass and acrylic, his works are celebrated for their incredibly life-like detail - although his manipulation of scale means that they evoke physical reality rather than imitate it directly.

In 1999 Ron Mueck became Associate Artist at the National Gallery.

During this two-year post an artist takes up residence in the Gallery, creating new work in response to its collection of masterpieces.

Accompanying the exhibition that marked the end of Mueck's tenure, this book illustrates the artist's new sculptures for the first time - and discusses in detail the work of a sculptor whose subjects are traditional, although his treatment of them sometimes is not.

For Ron Mueck the making of each sculpture is fundamental to its meaning, and the perfect execution of each piece crucial to its psychological impact.

Here, Colin Wiggins, Deputy Head of Education at the National Gallery, discusses how his work is made, and the artist's chief inspirations from the Gallery's collection. The writer and curator Susanna Greeves, who worked closely with Mueck for several years, then considers his sculpture as part of a wider tradition.

This Ron Mueck Exhibition Catalogue was shortlisted for The Art Newspaper & AXA Art Exhibition Catalogue Award 2003.