Geoffrey Clarke (28 November 1924 – 30 October 2014) was a British sculptor of ecclesiastical art and maker of stained glass.

Life and work

Clarke was a student of Ronald Grimshaw and attended the

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

in 1948 after serving in the RAF. He received the silver medal at the Milan Triennale for a collaboration with the furniture designer,

Robin Day Sir Robin Day (24 October 1923 – 6 August 2000) was an English political journalist and television and radio broadcaster. Day's obituary in ''The Guardian'' by Dick Taverne stated that he was "the most outstanding television journalist of ...

. He was part of a group of artists including Lynn Chadwick, Reg Butler and Kenneth Armitage who in 1952 was exhibited in the British Pavilion at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. They were described by art critic

Herbert Read Sir Herbert Edward Read, (; 4 December 1893 – 12 June 1968) was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read wa ...

as "the geometry of fear sculptors". He was commissioned to create the cross of nails for

Coventry Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midla ...

and also worked on three of the nave windows between 1957 and 1962. In 1965 he had a retrospective at The Redfern Gallery, London and his work is also held 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 ...

. Clarke was made a

Royal Academician 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 ...

in 1975. He was the subject of the Shell Film Unit film ''Cast in a New Mould''.

Illustrations of works

File:MovementEquivalent.JPG, ''Movement Equivalent'' On display on the Bedford campus of the University of Bedfordshire. File:Coventry Cathedral Cuthbert Bardsley Memorial (2377707511).jpg, ''

Cuthbert Bardsley Cuthbert Killick Norman Bardsley (28 March 1907 – 9 January 1991) was an Anglican bishop and evangelist who served as Bishop of Croydon from 1947 to 1956 and Bishop of Coventry from 1956 to 1976. It was during his tenure at Coventry that ...

Cross'' at

, 1962. File:Interior of Coventry Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 2127944.jpg, Stained-glass windows at Coventry Cathedral. File:Orion House, St Martin's Lane, London (3422938969).jpg, ''Orion House (formerly Thorn House)'', St Martin's Lane, London. 1960. File:Geoffrey Clarke Window, Lincoln Cathedral (16217008949).jpg, Lincoln Cathedral stained-glass window File:A snake in The Orchard, Jesus College, Cambridge - geograph.org.uk - 1041959.jpg, ''A Snake In The Orchard'',

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

File:King's Lynn Minster, Stained glass window (33160216441).jpg, Stained-glass window at

King's Lynn Minster St Margaret's Church, King's Lynn, entitled King's Lynn Minster since 2011, is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in King's Lynn, Norfolk. The building dates from the 12th to 15th centuries, with major restoration of the na ...

, Norfolk. File:The Crown of Thorns spire.jpg, The Crown of Thorns spire, St Michael's Parish Church,

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

, 1964 File:Relief by Geoffrey Clarke.jpg, ''Relief (‘Bubble Chamber Tracks’)'',

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, 1968

References

External links

Geoffrey Clarke at the Tate
1924 births 2014 deaths Alumni of the Royal College of Art English sculptors English male sculptors British modern sculptors Geometry of Fear Royal Academicians {{UK-sculptor-stub