Tending the Fires
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Tending the Fires” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Ceramics, Room 141, The McAulay Gallery, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Closed· opens at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
Claire Curneen (born 1968) creates figurative sculptures that poignantly reflect on humanity. Universal themes of loss, suffering, sacrifice and rebirth underpin her works. Hand-built in white porcelain, sometimes with touches of blue or gold, their translucent and fragile qualities offer metaphors through which we can consider the human condition and experience. Born in Ireland, Curneen studied at Cork, Belfast and Cardiff, where she now lives and works.
'Tending the Fires' is Curneen's most expansive work to date. A complex diorama, it presents a fragmented world in which figures jostle with birds, branches and broken pottery. Despite an appearance of destruction, it also suggests resilience and hope.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- C.23:1-39-2018
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
