Ria Bancroft (1907 – 8 March 1993) was a British-New Zealand artist born in England. She created the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

and her works are held in several New Zealand art galleries.

Background

Born in England, in 1907, she moved to Canada to work as a television designer and display artist She moved Italy in the 1960s to study art, receiving a Diploma from the Academy of Florence. In 1962 she moved to New Zealand, joining her daughter Peb Simmons in Christchurch. Bancroft died on 8 March 1993 in

, New Zealand.

Career

After studying art in Italy, it was only after moving to New Zealand that Bancroft began to focus on her sculpture work. Her work often included religious subjects. Bancroft became a member of the

Canterbury Society of Arts Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA, formerly the Canterbury Society of Arts) is a curated art gallery in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The gallery is administered by the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Charitable Trust. Quart ...

and exhibited with The Group in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. In 1964 she was invited to join the New Zealand Society of Sculptors. During this time she also exhibited with the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the A ...

After receiving recognition for her work, Bancroft became increasingly involved in art education and delivered a number of talks and lectures. In 1971 she accepted a position as art teacher at

Xavier College Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878. ...

, a boys' High School. In 1974 she resigned the position to focus on her art. In addition to her public works, notable works by Ban include ''Rocking Horse'' (1963) and ''Unicycle No 2''. Her final piece, a life size portrait of the Russian writer

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repr ...

, was completed in 1992. In 1998 the

Robert McDougall Art Gallery The Robert McDougall Art Gallery is a heritage building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was designed by Edward Armstrong and it opened in 1932. It is a Category I heritage building listed with Heritage New Zealand and is located within the ...

held a posthumous exhibition of Bancroft's work entitled, ''Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture''. A biography of her life, ''No Ordinary Woman: A Biography of Ria Bancroft'', was written by her daughter Peb Simmons. Her work is held in the collection of the Suter Te Aratoi O Whakatū gallery and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.

Public works

Bancroft received many public commissions in New Zealand including: * ''Horizon'' – her first major commission, for the Christchurch City Council in 1965, it incorporated in the design of the new 'Horizon' restaurant at

Christchurch International Airport Christchurch Airport is the main airport that serves Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood, New Zealand, Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1 ...

* ''Forms'' – 9-metre-long mural, made in collaboration with Pat Mulcahy, for the Ministry of Works and was incorporated in the design of the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

's new Science Lecture Hall * mural for the

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

building in Rotorua, created in 1966 in collaboration with Pat Mulcahy * a maquette "Angel of St Matthew" – for Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church in 1967 * the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Christchurch’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in 1975, opened 12 June 1977 * ''Thy Kingdom Come'' – commissioned for the Holy Cross Chapel in Christchurch in the 1970s * ‘Christus Rex’ memorial cross for

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania * All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory *All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

in Dunedin – completed in 1990 Her work, ''Energetic Forms, 1965–1966'', created with Pat Mulcahy is included in the University of Canterbury sculpture trail. In the 1980s she assisted in the refurbishment of St Mary’s Catholic church in New Brighton (where she attended) with sculptor Bing Dawe. In addition to work on the altar, lectern, font, and sanctuary, Bancroft created and gifted a sculpture of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

to the church.

Background

Career

Public works

References

Further reading