Ron Mueck first came to major critical attention during the Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1997. Usually cast in silicone and acrylic, his work is celebrated for its life-like detail -although his manipulation of scale means his sculptures often evoke reality rather than directly imitate it. Since 2000, Mueck has been Associate Artist at the National Gallery, London, drawing inspiration from the collection to create new sculpture for an exhibition that will open there on 19th March 2003. This volume, the catalogue of the exhibition, gives an overview of the artist's work to date and previews the sculptor's responses to the gallery's paintings, reproducing the pieces.