Join artist Rachel Kneebone in conversation with acclaimed writer Marina Warner and Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection, Dr Alison Smith, as they explore Metamorphoses: Porcelain Sculpture by Rachel Kneebone. Together, they will discuss the ideas, inspirations and artistic influences that have shaped Kneebone’s remarkable career and distinctive sculptural practice. 

Taking the exhibition as a starting point, the discussion will examine the relationship between Kneebone’s contemporary porcelain sculptures and the historic spaces of the Wallace Collection, revealing new perspectives on the display and its themes. Discover the artist’s use of materials, creative process and literary and visual sources of inspiration in this fascinating conversation between three leading voices from the worlds of art, history and storytelling. 

About the speakers:   

Rachel Kneebone was born in Oxfordshire and completed a MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London in 2004. Working primarily with white porcelain, she has developed a unique way of moulding and handling clay to create vitrified organic forms suggestive of movement and the experience of inhabiting the body. 

Marina Warner CH DBE is a writer of cultural history, fiction and memoir. Her essays are collected in Signs & Wonders (1994), Forms of Enchantment: Writings on Art and Artists (2018). She has curated shows, including The Shelter of Stories: Ways of Telling, Ways of Dwelling (Compton Verney, Warwickshire 2025-2026), and her essay about Rachel Kneebone’s work for the catalogue to her recent exhibition in Finland will be reprinted in Myth, Magic and Marvels (forthcoming). She is a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. 

Dr Alison Smith is Director of Collections and Research at the Wallace Collection, having previously worked at the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain. She has published widely on British and European 19th- and 20th-century art, her most recent publication being Edvard Munch Portraits (NPG 2025).   

Take part at the museum: Join us at the museum for this special talk, followed by drinks and access to pieces from Metamorphoses: Porcelain Sculpture by Rachel Kneebone on the ground floor, until 20.45. 

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum via Zoom. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks.