| Polly Morgan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 31–32) |
| Field | Taxidermy |
| Training | George Jamieson, Edinburgh |
| Works | Rabbit on Hat For Sorrow Still Life After Death (fox) |
| Influenced by | Dinos Chapman[1] Noble & Webster[1] Walter Potter[2] |
| Website | Polly Morgan Website |
Polly Morgan (born 1980) is a London based British artist who uses taxidermy to create works of art.[1][3][4][5]
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Morgan did not plan an art career; she considered becoming an actress after leaving school, but went to university instead.[2] Morgan graduated from Queen Mary, University of London, in English Literature in 2002.[5] During her studies, she worked in Shoreditch Electricity Showrooms, a bar popular with artists; after graduation, she continued to work there as manager.[3] Inspired to create work of her own she took a course with the professional taxidermist George Jamieson, of Crammond, in Edinburgh, during which her intuitive and personal response to the medium were obvious.[5]
Morgan's first four pieces caught the attention of Banksy: A lovebird looking in a mirror; a squirrel holding a belljar with a little fly perched inside on top of a sugar cube; a magpie with a jewel in its beak; and a couple of chicks standing on a miniature coffin'.[2][3] In 2005 he commissioned her to produce work for Santa’s Ghetto, an annual exhibition he organised near London’s Oxford Street.[5] Her next piece, a white rat curled up in a shallow champagne glass, was exhibited at Wolfe Lenkiewicz's Zoo Art Fair in 2005. That piece - 'Rest a Little on the Lap of Life' - was purchased before the show opened by Vanessa Branson.[3] Morgan works from a Bethnal Green studio.[1]
In 2009, Morgan sold her flying machine sculpture from the All Visual Arts (AVA) The Age of the Marvellous exhibition for between £85,000[5] and £95,000[6] to Thomas Olbricht, a German art collector.[6]
Morgan is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists.[5] The animals used in her taxidermy are contributed by vets or pet owners; the animals have died naturally or accidentally, for example they may have been roadkill. Morgan maintains a detailed log of all dead animals in stock.[7]
Morgan is married to fellow artist Mat Collishaw.