This exhibition, the fifth in the Ben Uri ongoing series 'The Whitechapel Boys', provides a unique opportunity to consider the careers of two contrasting, British-based émigré sculptors: Jacob Epstein (1880-1957) and his lesser-known female contemporary, Dora Gordine (1898-1991). The exhibition seeks to examine how both figures responded to and were inspired by non-western cultures in much of their work, to create an extraordinarily rich and sophisticated visual vocabulary, which resonates as much in today's multi-cultural society as it did in Britain some 70 years ago.

Epstein is one of the most significant figures in British sculpture in the first half of the twentieth century. A great admirer of African and Oceanic sculpture, he was also one of the first British-based artists to assemble his own outstanding collection of 'primitive art'. This influence, linked to his revival of the methods of direct-carving and his contact with the Paris-based artists Brancusi and Modigliani, is apparent in sculptures such as his Indian-inspired Maternity (1910, Leeds), and his carving for the tomb of Oscar Wilde (1912), which draws on his knowledge of Assyrian sculpture. This 'primitive' influence is also apparent in the series of (often explicit) drawings and carvings on themes of fertility and birth, executed between 1913-15, such as Female Figure in Flenite (1913, Tate). Epstein's clear preference for models of non-European origin was often controversial during his lifetime, but resulted in some of his most striking pieces. The Kashmiri model Amina Patel (known as Sunita), and Nan Condron, a young woman of Gipsy origin, are among his most recognisable sitters, but his studies of women also included models of Chinese, Russian, Ethiopian, Sengalese and Arab origin.

Dora Gordine: self-taught sculptor, designer, collector and society figure, provides a worthy foil to Epstein. Beginning her career in Paris, where she was encouraged by Maillol, she travelled widely, concentrating from the outset on models of non-European origin. Her bronze bust, The Chinese Philosopher (1926, Dorich House), won her instant acclaim when exhibited in Paris in 1926, and was followed by The Mongolian Head (1927), now in the Tate collection. Her first solo exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London in 1928, included heads of Indian, Chinese, Cingalese [sic], Javanese, Malay, Iranian and Greek models, and was a complete sell out. Between 1929-35 she lived and worked in the Far East, carrying out a commission from the city of Singapore in 1930 to sculpt six heads representing its constituent races. Dorich House, Kingston Vale, the home she designed in 1936 with her husband Richard Hare, an aristocratic academic, shows her awareness of European Modernsim, but her work, unlike Epstein's, remains classically-inspired.

The exhibition will explore the sculptors shared contacts and interests: both regular exhibitors at the Leicester Galleries, London, and founder-members of the Society of Portrait Sculptors, they also both attracted patronage from the prominent collector Michael Sadler.

Loans will be drawn from the Ben Uri permanent collection and both private and public sources, including the Tate. Particular support has come from the Garman Ryan Collection at the New Art Gallery, Walsall, and from Dorich House, now part of Kingston University, and home to the Gordine/Hare collection of Russian art and the Gordine archive. Many of Gordine's works have remained unseen for more than fifty years.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated, colour catalogue with contributions from scholars including Dr. Jonathan Black and Brenda Martin of Kingston University.

Curators: Sarah MacDougall and Rachel Dickson

This exhibition is the launch of the visual arts contribution to the UK celebrations of 3 and a half centuries of british-jewish life. Jews were welcomed by Cromwell in 1656. Throughout 2006, we pay special tribute to their heritage, presence and future in Britain.