Kenneth Armitage, Sculptor (Paperback)

Published in the year marking the Centenary of the birth of the sculptor Kenneth Armitage CBE RA, this volume reflects his strengths as an artist, a teacher and friend. Sometimes taciturn, frequently humorous, loyal to those he loved and respected, Armitage's career was dedicated to making sculpture. His great success in the 1950s was followed by a period when critical focus was directed to younger generations, but during his mature years his unstoppable energy and intellectual focus fed a burst of creativity that generated a renewed interest in his achievements.

 

Newly commissioned essays on his work by Ann Elliott, and Dr Jon Wood place his work to the fore, while Tamsyn Woollcombe has assembled a life story based largely on interviews she made with his friends, lovers and professional colleagues together with archival material such as letters writings and photographs taken during his life. John Bennington throws focus onto the sculpture, maquette and drawing of People in the Wind 1950 the sculpture that established Kenneth Armitage as an internationally celebrated sculptor in the XXIV Venice Biennale in 1952.

 

Significant consideration is given to the charitable Legacy Armitage established for successive generations of sculptors through the Kenneth Armitage Foundation. His house and studio in Kensington provides living and studio space for Armitage Fellows and sums of money set aside for wards to selected graduates of the schools of art with which he was associated. Six Armitage Fellows are featured in the book, together with a more detailed account of Jess Flood-Paddock’s experience during her Fellowship years.

 

The writer and long-term friend of Kenneth Armitage, John McEwen, introduces the book with particular insight and personal appreciation of the artist and his work.