F. E. McWilliam
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Frederick Edward McWilliam (30 April 1909 – 13 May 1992), was a Northern Irish surrealist
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 ...
. He worked chiefly in
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
,
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
and
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
.


Biography

McWilliam was born in
Banbridge Banbridge ( ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. It is in the civil parish of Seapatrick and the historic barony of Iveagh Upper ...
,
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, Ireland, the son of Dr William McWilliam, a local
general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
.''Irish Art 1900-1950'', published by Rosc in conjunction with their exhibition at the Crawford Gallery, Cork, December 1975-January 76. Growing up in Banbridge had a great influence on his work. He made references to furniture makers such as Carson the Cooper and Proctors in his letters to his friend, Marjorie Burnett. He attended
Campbell College Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...
in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
and later attended Belfast College of Art from 1926. After 1928, he continued to study at the
Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He originally intended to become a painter, but influenced by A.H. Gerrard, Head of Sculpture at the Slade and by
Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...
whom he met there, he turned to sculpture. He received the Robert Ross Leaving Scholarship which enabled him and his wife (Beth Crowther) to travel to Paris where he visited the studio of Brancusi.Information brochure published by F.E.McWilliam Gallery and Studio. During the first year of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he joined the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
and was stationed in England for four years where he was engaged in interpreting aerial reconnaissance photographs. He was then posted to India. While there he taught art in the Hindu Art School in New Delhi. After his return from India, he taught for a year at the Chelsea School of Art. He was then invited by A. H. Gerrard to teach sculpture at the Slade. He continued in this post until 1968. The 1950s saw him receive many commissions including the ''Four Seasons Group'' for the
Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Labour Party cabinet member Herbert Morrison was the prime mover; in 1947 he started with the ...
exhibition in 1951. A major commission (1957) was ''Princess Macha'' for Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry. On 24 April 1959 he was elected to the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...
. On 21 March 1963 he resigned from in protest at the Hanging Committee's rejection of a
William Gear William Gear RA RBSA (2 August 1915 – 27 February 1997) was a Scottish painter, most notable for his abstract compositions. Early life Gear was born in Methil in south-east Fife, Scotland, the son of Janet (1886-1955) and Porteous Gea ...
painting, also resigning from the London Group and not participating in future mixed exhibitions. On 7 December 1989 he was re-elected as a Senior R.A. During the Northern Ireland Troubles he produced a series of bronzes (1972–73) known as '' Women of Belfast'' in response to the
Abercorn Restaurant bombing The Abercorn Restaurant bombing was a bomb attack that took place in a crowded city centre restaurant and bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 4 March 1972. The bomb explosion claimed the lives of two young women and injured over 130 people. Many ...
. In 1964 he was awarded an Honorary
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...
from
Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
. In 1966 he was appointed
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
and in 1971 he won the Oireachtas Gold Medal. McWilliam is represented in many public collections, including
MOMA The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
(New York) and
Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...
. In 1984 the National Self-Portrait Gallery purchased a McWilliam self-portrait amongst acquisitions from fellow Northerners Brian Ballard, Brian Ferran and TP Flanagan. The
Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ''Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots language, Ulster-Scots: ''Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan'') is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It ...
organised a retrospective of his work in 1981 and a second retrospective was shown at the
Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...
in 1989 for his 80th birthday. He continued carving up to his death. He died of cancer in London on 13 May 1992. McWilliam's style of work consists of sculptures of the human form contorted into strange positions, often described as modern and surreal. In September 2009
Banbridge District Banbridge was a local government district in Northern Ireland. The district was one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972. The headquarters of the council ...
Council opened a gallery and studio dedicated to the work of and named after McWilliam.


See also

*
List of Northern Irish artists This is a list of notable artists born in Northern Ireland. __NOTOC__ A * Kiran Acharya (1983–) * Arthur Armstrong (1924–1996) *Array Collective (active 2016–present) –Northern Irish collective of artists and activists who won the 202 ...


References


External links


Profile on Royal Academy of Arts CollectionsF. E. McWilliam websiteBanbridge District Council
{{DEFAULTSORT:McWilliam, F. E. 1909 births 1992 deaths 20th-century British sculptors 20th-century male artists from Northern Ireland Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art People from Banbridge Royal Academicians Sculptors from Northern Ireland Male sculptors from Northern Ireland 20th-century Irish male artists Artists from County Down Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire