Editing Lewes (section)

==Public sculpture==

===Historic===

With [[Eric Gill]]'s move to Ditchling, the artistic community there gave rise to other sculptors in the Lewes district such as his nephew [[John Skelton (sculptor)|John Skelton]] and [[Joseph Cribb]]. Skelton's studio in [[Streat]] has continued as an educational and artist's workshop since his death in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skeltonworkshops.co.uk/ |title=Skelton Workshops |access-date=19 January 2013 |archive-date=24 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524180947/http://skeltonworkshops.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eric Gill]] and [[Jacob Epstein]] conceived ''a great scheme for doing some colossal figures together'' around 1910 for a modern Stonehenge on 6 acres of land at Asheham House, [[Beddingham]], south-east of Lewes. [[William Rothenstein]] agreed to buy the lease but the scheme failed.<ref>Richard Cork, ''Vorticism and Abstract Art in the First Machine Age'', Volume 1, p. 117.</ref>

[[Edward Perry Warren]] first saw Lewes House in 1889 and with his partner John Marshall they were prodigious collectors of fine antique sculpture there. [[Eric Gill]] was introduced to Warren by [[Roger Fry]] and the stone carving Ecstasy purchased, which is now in the [[Tate Gallery]] collection. [[William Rothenstein]] suggested that Warren might like to acquire [[Auguste Rodin|Rodin]]'s new sculpture ''[[The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)|The Kiss]]'' and after several visits, in 1904 the Lewes ''Kiss'' arrived at Lewes House. In 1906 Rodin requested that Warren lend ''The Kiss'' to an important exhibition in Regent Street, London. This made it famous in Britain for the first time. ''The Kiss'' was returned to the stables at Lewes House, where it remained until 1914 until offered to Lewes Town Council. It was placed in the Town Hall, at the South End of the Assembly Room on 2 December 1914. Early in 1915, ''The Kiss'' was wrapped in canvas and marked off with a guard rail. The Town Council returned the statue, saying only that the room did 'not lend itself to such a noble piece of statuary.' On 26 February 1917, ''The Kiss'' was once more taken to the stable block where it was to remain until Warren's death in 1928. After a short period on loan to Cheltenham, ''The Kiss'' was purchased in 1953 by public subscription and is now one of the Tate's most popular attractions.

It returned on loan to Lewes in 1999 for the exhibition ''Rodin in Lewes''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hqinfo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/jm-archive-rodin-in-lewes.html |title=The Generalist |work=hqinfo.blogspot.co.uk |date=9 October 2011 |access-date=18 January 2013 |archive-date=3 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003225426/http://hqinfo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/jm-archive-rodin-in-lewes.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Present day===
''The Helmet'' (1964), by [[Enzo Plazzotta]], stands in the grounds of Lewes Priory.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=75 |title=Object Details |work=publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk |access-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224202/http://www.publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=75 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Cuilfail Spiral'' (1983) by [[Peter Randall-Page]] sits on the roundabout at the north end of the Cuilfail Tunnel; made of 7 pieces of Portland limestone. The ''Magnus Inscription'' (c. 1200) sits in the East wall of St John Sub Castro on the Junction of Abinger Place and Lancaster Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=246 |title=Object Details |work=publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk |access-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301134037/http://publicsculpturesofsussex.co.uk/object?id=246 |archive-date=1 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Janus Head'' (1997) by [[John Skelton (sculptor)|John Skelton]] and ''Lewes Group'' (2010) by [[Jon Edgar]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/local/lewes-set-to-host-giant-sculpture-by-jon-edgar-1-4880608 |title=Lewes set to host giant sculpture by Jon Edgar |work=sussexexpress.co.uk |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203031918/http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/local/lewes-set-to-host-giant-sculpture-by-jon-edgar-1-4880608 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> sit in Southover Grange Gardens. ''Sculpture to Thomas Paine'' by [[Marcus Cornish]] commissioned as a private donation was unveiled in July 2010 outside the new Lewes Library in Styles Field.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10507823 |title=Statue of Thomas Paine unveiled in Lewes |work=bbc.co.uk |date=5 July 2010 |access-date=3 January 2020 |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103183305/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10507823 |url-status=live}}</ref>