Sir Charles Thomas Wheeler (14 March 1892 – 22 August 1974) was a British

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

who worked in bronze and stone who became the first sculptor to hold the presidency of the Royal Academy, from 1956 until 1966.

Biography

Philip Louis Vian by Charles Wheeler, 1942

Wheeler was the son of a journalist and was born in Codsall, Staffordshire, and raised in nearby

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. He studied at the Wolverhampton College of Art, now Wolverhampton University, under Robert Emerson, between 1908 and 1912. In 1912 he won a scholarship to the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

where he studied under Édouard Lantéri until 1917. Throughout the remainder of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Wheeler was classified as unfit for active service and instead modelled artificial limbs for war amputees. Wheeler came to specialize in portraits and

architectural sculpture Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that ...

. From 1914 until 1970 he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and became a Fellow of the Academy in 1940 and became its president in 1956. His tenure as RA president was controversial for the decision by the Academy to sell the most valuable painting in its collection, the

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

cartoon of ''

The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist ''The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist'', sometimes called ''The Burlington House Cartoon'', is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The drawing is in charcoal and black and white chalk, on eight sheets of paper that are glue ...

''. The possibility that the painting might leave Britain caused a public outcry and eventually it was sold to the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

. From 1942 to 1949, he served as a trustee of the Tate Gallery and in 1946 was a member of the

Royal Fine Art Commission The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was an executive non-departmental public body of the UK government, established in 1999. It was funded by both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for ...

. In 1968 he wrote his autobiography, ''High Relief''. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Wheeler was the only sculptor to be given full-time contracts by the

War Artists' Advisory Committee The War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC), was a British government agency established within the Ministry of Information at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and headed by Sir Kenneth Clark. Its aim was to compile a comprehensive artist ...

. In both 1941 and 1942, Wheeler was commissioned to produce portrait busts of Admiralty figures. Due to material shortages and other issues, Wheeler produced only three bronze figures during the commission period.

Personal life

In 1918, Charles Wheeler met Miss Muriel Bourne, youngest daughter of A. W. Bourne, and a sculptor and painter herself at the time. They married and had two children, their son Robin and their daughter Carol. In 1968, Charles Wheeler moved to a little Sussex farmhouse to evade the noise of constructions near their previous dwelling. He died on 22 August 1974, at the age of 82 and was buried in Codsall.

Works

Notable works include by Wheeler include, * The 20-foot bronze doors and a major programme of sculptures, including the " Lothbury Ladies" and the gilded finial figure of ''Ariel'' for the Bank of England, with architect Sir

Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He wa ...

, 1922–45 * Fountain and memorial plates for Blackmoor War Memorial Cloister by Sir Herbert Baker. * Sculptures for

Rhodes House Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* on ...

, Oxford, with Baker, 1927 * Sculptures for

India House India House was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate, North London. With the patronage of lawyer Shyamji Krishna Varma, it was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britai ...

, Aldwych, with Baker, 1928–30 * Sculptures for South Africa House with Baker, 1934 * The western fountain figures in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...

, 1948 * The allegorical figures of the ''Seven Seas'' at the Tower Hill Memorial * The statue of Lady Wulfrun outside St. Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton * Assorted architectural sculptures and keystones for the Bank of England extension at

One New Change One New Change is a major office and retail development in the City of London. It comprises of floor space, including of retail space and of office space and is the only large shopping centre in the City of London, the historic nucleus and mo ...

* The monumental ''Earth'' and ''Water'' figures for the Ministry of Defence in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

* The gilded bronze eagle on top of the

Malta Memorial The Malta Memorial is a war memorial monument to the 2,298 Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives in the various Second World War air battles and engagements around the Mediterranean, whilst serving with the Commonwealth Air Forces flying fro ...

in Floriana, 1954

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Charles 1892 births 1974 deaths 20th-century British sculptors Alumni of the Royal College of Art Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton British architectural sculptors British war artists English sculptors English male sculptors Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People from Wolverhampton Royal Academicians World War II artists People from Codsall People from Mayfield, East Sussex