Around 1980 there can be seen to have been a general reaction in western art to the predominance of minimal and conceptual art in the previous decade. In painting this reaction took the form of neo-expressionism and related phenomena. In sculpture there was a notable return to the use of a wide range of techniques of fabrication and even the use of traditional materials and methods such as carving in stone and marble. Figurative and metaphoric imagery reappeared together with poetic or evocative titles.
In Britain a strong group of young sculptors emerged whose work although quite disparate, quickly became known as new British sculpture.
The principal artists associated with New British Sculpture were Stephen Cox, Tony Cragg, Barry Flanagan, Antony Gormley, Richard Deacon, Shirazeh Houshiary, Anish Kapoor, Alison Wilding and Bill Woodrow.