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Basil Watson, CD (born 1958), is a Jamaican sculptor.
He is the son of painter Barrington Watson,Housen, Claudine.
'Balance' on the Beach
", ''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 26 November 2006. and the brother of sculptor Raymond Watson.
" ''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 16 October 2009. He was honoured with the
, Jamaica Information Service, 18 October 2005. Watson completed a sculpture entitled "Balance" in November 2006, which was installed at Doctor's Cave Bathing Club in
Jamaicans.com, 9 January 2006. The bronze sculpture, which is eight feet tall and weighs seven hundred pounds, depicts a running Ottey reaching for the sky with her right hand. Prime Minister P. J. Patterson presided over the statue's dedication. Another work of Watson's was added to National Stadium in November 2009, when Prime Minister Bruce Golding unveiled his sculpture of sprinter
''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 24 November 2009. Watson described the task as an "honour" and a "privilege", citing the esteem in which he held McKenley. He said that when designing the work, he drew from multiple images of McKenley created at different times in his life, in order to bridge the gap between McKenley's youthful accomplishments and his popular renown in his old age. Works by both Basil Watson and his son Kai, a painter, were exhibited in New York at the fifth annual "Art Off the Main" exposition in October 2008, sponsored by the
''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 26 October 2008. That December, Watson was added to the list of artists invited to provide works for the National Gallery of Jamaica's National Biennial exhibition."The 2008 Jamaica National Biennial, December 14, 2008, Jamaica"
Jamaicans.com, 10 December 2008. He was chosen from four finalists to create the United Kingdom's National Windrush Monument, which was unveiled at London Waterloo Station in June 2022.
Basil Watson, CD (born 1958), is a Jamaican sculptor.
He is the son of painter Barrington Watson,Housen, Claudine.'Balance' on the Beach
", ''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 26 November 2006. and the brother of sculptor Raymond Watson.
" ''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 16 October 2009. He was honoured with the
Order of Distinction
The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...
, Commander Class, in 2016, in recognition of his artistic accomplishments.Outstanding Jamaicans Honoured at King's House, Jamaica Information Service, 18 October 2005. Watson completed a sculpture entitled "Balance" in November 2006, which was installed at Doctor's Cave Bathing Club in
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore, all of which form the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, ho ...
, in honour of the club's centennial. Meant to depict the harmony between man and woman, the sculpture is of a standing nude man with one arm outstretched over his head, and an inverted nude woman balancing on one hand, with her hand supported by the man's upraised hand. In total, it is 15 feet tall.
In December of that same year, he completed a statue of sprinter Merlene Ottey
Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is rank ...
, which was installed at Jamaica's National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
."Ottey Honoured with Statue".Jamaicans.com, 9 January 2006. The bronze sculpture, which is eight feet tall and weighs seven hundred pounds, depicts a running Ottey reaching for the sky with her right hand. Prime Minister P. J. Patterson presided over the statue's dedication. Another work of Watson's was added to National Stadium in November 2009, when Prime Minister Bruce Golding unveiled his sculpture of sprinter
Herb McKenley
The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM (10 July 1922 – 26 November 2007) was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals.
Born in Pleasant Valle ...
."McKenley statue to be unveiled tomorrow"''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 24 November 2009. Watson described the task as an "honour" and a "privilege", citing the esteem in which he held McKenley. He said that when designing the work, he drew from multiple images of McKenley created at different times in his life, in order to bridge the gap between McKenley's youthful accomplishments and his popular renown in his old age. Works by both Basil Watson and his son Kai, a painter, were exhibited in New York at the fifth annual "Art Off the Main" exposition in October 2008, sponsored by the
Savacou Gallery
''Savacou: A Journal of the Caribbean Artists Movement'' was a journal of literature, new writing and ideas founded in 1970 as a small co-operative venture, led by Edward Kamau Brathwaite, on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, ...
."Caribbean art showcases at NY exhibition"''The Jamaica Gleaner'', 26 October 2008. That December, Watson was added to the list of artists invited to provide works for the National Gallery of Jamaica's National Biennial exhibition."The 2008 Jamaica National Biennial, December 14, 2008, Jamaica"
Jamaicans.com, 10 December 2008. He was chosen from four finalists to create the United Kingdom's National Windrush Monument, which was unveiled at London Waterloo Station in June 2022.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Basil 1958 births Living people 20th-century Jamaican sculptors 20th-century male artists 21st-century Jamaican sculptors Members of the Order of Jamaica Jamaican artists