Rachel Whiteread

Rachel Whiteread is an acclaimed English artist renowned for her sculptural works.

Biography of Rachel Whiteread

Rachel Whiteread was born in 1963, in Ilford, Essex. From 1982 to 1985, she studied at Brighton Polytechnic in Brighton.

Later, she attended the Slade School of Art, University College London, where she earned her MA in 1987. During her time at the Slade, she was taught by Phyllida Barlow and took a workshop on casting with sculptor Richard Wilson.

Whiteread began her career by working at the Serpentine Gallery. For a period, she also worked at Highgate Cemetery, repairing lids on coffins damaged by time. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1988, just a year after she started exhibiting her work. She gained prominence quickly, winning the Turner Prize in 1993, the first woman to achieve this honor.

Whiteread was also part of the Young British Artists who exhibited at the Royal Academy's "Sensation" exhibition in 1997. She has received significant accolades for her contributions to art, including being appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2019.

She lives and works in a former synagogue in East London with her long-term partner and fellow sculptor, Marcus Taylor, and their two sons.

Rachel Whiteread's Art Style

Rachel Whiteread's art primarily involves creating casts of ordinary domestic objects, focusing on their negative space. Her techniques often include making solid casts of the open spaces in and around pieces of furniture, architectural details, and entire rooms or buildings. This method captures the essence and history embedded in these spaces, carrying "the residue of years and years of use."

Her work is characterized by its exploration of line and form. Some of her notable works include "House," a concrete cast of the interior of an entire Victorian house, and the "Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial" in Vienna, which resembles library shelves with pages turned outward. Another significant piece is "Untitled Monument," a resin sculpture for the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square.

Whiteread's inspiration often stems from personal memories and experiences, as seen in her early work "Closet," a plaster cast of the interior of a wooden wardrobe covered with black felt, inspired by childhood memories of hiding in a dark closet. Her works encapsulate the intimate and often overlooked spaces of daily life, transforming them into monumental sculptures.