Free art exhibition features actor's sculptures

Actor Jim Broadbent has included some of his sculptures in the exhibition, curated by Devi Singh

An art curator said she was still discovering new works in a free exhibition that features sculptures by an Academy Award-winning actor.

The Summer Contemporary is at Britten Pears Arts' galleries at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, until Sunday.

It showcases emerging and established artists, and includes pieces by the actor Jim Broadbent, known for his roles in Harry Potter, Paddington and Blackadder.

It is only the second time Broadbent has shown his work and exhibition curator Devi Singh said it was "wonderful" to see it amongst the other exhibits.

Broadbent has several sculptures, including this one, in the exhibition

There are 160 works by artists including Laurence Edwards, who designed five 8ft (2.4m) statues placed on south beach in Lowestoft in 2024.

"I'm still learning about things in the exhibition and I put it together with help from the lovely gallery team," Ms Singh said.

"I'm still seeing things and looking at things in different ways... I'm still discovering new beauties of works, it's a lovely thing.

"It just seems fitting to have work by emerging artists, that have probably never exhibited their work before, that also sit beside works on the lawn by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth."

Ms Singh said it was important to her that art was accessible to everyone and that the exhibition included pieces "from a multitude of diverse artists in a space which is freeing".

Broadbent has created several human-like sculptures, which he said was a way he could develop characters outside of his acting.

Ms Singh said it was "wonderful to see his work, especially as for him it's only his second time ever exhibiting, so that's great".

"He's a great craftsman," she added. "If you look at all the intricacies of the face and the costumes, it's really delicate work."

Broadbent won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2002.

He received it for his role as John Bayley in the film Iris, about the novelist Iris Murdoch's struggle with Alzheimer's disease.