Nicola Hicks (British, b.1960) is a celebrated sculptor working primarily in plaster, straw, and cast bronze, known for her depictions of animals such as bears, kangaroos, horses, goats, and many others. Relying on a strong drawing practice to inform her three-dimensional work, Hicks’ art is sensitively attuned to the physicality and anatomy of living things, without being beholden to strict realism. Focusing on figuration since the beginning of her career, the surfaces of her sculptures bear visible marks of the artist’s hand, and are highly tactile and seemingly spontaneous.
Hicks studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art, graduating from the latter with a master’s degree in 1985. Her work has been exhibited widely, including the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Galerie de Bellefeuille in Quebec, and Flowers Gallery in both London and New York, among many others. In 1994, she was awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Her work can be found in the public collection of institutions such as the Tate in London, the Hakone Open Air Museum in Kanagawa, Japan, the Castle Museum in Norwich, and others.
