Joseph Hillier (born 24 April 1974 in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
) is a British sculptor. His best known works include the ''
Messenger
Messenger, Messengers, The Messenger or The Messengers may refer to:
People
* Courier, a person or company that delivers messages, packages, or mail
* Messenger (surname)
* Bicycle messenger, a bicyclist who transports packages through cities
* M ...
'', a
public sculpture
Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically access ...
in
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, Devon.
Early life and education
Hillier was born in Cornwall in 1974.
He studied at
Falmouth College of Art
Falmouth University is a specialist public university for the creative industries based in Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, Penryn, Cornwall, England. Founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, it was later known as Falmouth C ...
, then held a research post at
Newcastle University
Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...
.
In 2000, he won ''Year of the Artist Award'', from the
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...
.
In 2001,
Tulane University
The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
awarded Hillier a scholarship, leading to completion of a Master of Fine Arts in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, as well as teaching role.
In 2004, he was elected associate member of the
Royal British Society of Sculptors
The Royal Society of Sculptors (RSS) is a British charity established in 1905, which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, Lo ...
,
later to become a Fellow.
Career
His first works ''Being Human'', consisting of five large art pieces, were sold to a single collection, and shipped back to the UK.
This funded his first art studio in London, where he produced ''Generation'', enabling his debut solo exhibition at APT Gallery in 2005.
In 2013, his work was chosen to be a finalist in the national sculpture prize, at Broomhill, and at 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 ...
summer exhibition.
In 2017, his most notable work
''Messenger'', was commissioned, and erected two years later in
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, Devon, March 2019.
See also
*
Lost-wax casting
Lost-wax castingalso called investment casting, precision casting, or ''cire perdue'' (; borrowed from French)is the process by which a duplicate sculpture (often a metal, such as silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is cast from an original scul ...
References
External links
*
Profile on The Sculpture ParkWhy the artist behind the UK's biggest bronze sculpture chose a woman as the subject*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillier, Joseph
1974 births
Living people
21st-century British sculptors
21st-century English male artists
Alumni of Falmouth University
Alumni of Newcastle University
Artists from Cornwall
English contemporary artists
English male sculptors
People from Truro