Shearwater
- Artist: Dame Elisabeth Frink
- Date: 1974
- Medium: Lithograph on paper
- Dimensions: image: 610 x 476 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Shearwater” by Dame Elisabeth Frink. Created in 1974, this lithograph on paper captures the moment a shearwater, that sleek sea bird, soars over the waves. Frink, renowned for her sculptural work, uses the print medium here to emphasize motion: the bird’s wings spread wide, the body slightly tilted, as if slicing through the air. The composition is tight – the bird dominates the page, with the sea’s ripples implied by subtle tonal washes below. Frink’s use of line and shading gives a sense of weight and freedom that mirrors her larger sculptures. This piece was presented by Curwen Studio through the Institute of Contemporary Prints in 1975, and now resides in the collection that brings together modern British art. It’s often featured in exhibitions focused on birds or the sea, highlighting how the artist captured the spirit of the coast in a single, dynamic image. The print’s dimensions are modest – just under a meter long – yet its impact is immediate, inviting viewers to imagine the sky and sea meeting in that fleeting instant.
See it in person
Shearwater is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
