Alexander Munro (October 26 1825 – January 1 1871) was a British sculptor of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Son of a stone mason, his talents were supported by financial assistance from his father’s employer, the Duchess of Sutherland. He came to London in 1848 to study sculpture under
Charles BarrySir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in his home city of London during the mid 19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.-Training:Born in Bridge Street, Westminster, he was the son...
. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1849-70, and in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Munro was a close associate of
Thomas WoolnerThomas Woolner was an English sculptor and poet.Born in Hadleigh, Suffolk he was a founder-member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood...
, the only sculptor to be a member of the original
Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodThe Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
.
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Alexander Munro (October 26 1825 – January 1 1871) was a British sculptor of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Son of a stone mason, his talents were supported by financial assistance from his father’s employer, the Duchess of Sutherland. He came to London in 1848 to study sculpture under
Charles BarrySir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in his home city of London during the mid 19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.-Training:Born in Bridge Street, Westminster, he was the son...
. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1849-70, and in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Munro was a close associate of
Thomas WoolnerThomas Woolner was an English sculptor and poet.Born in Hadleigh, Suffolk he was a founder-member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood...
, the only sculptor to be a member of the original
Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodThe Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
. He was also friendly with
Dante Gabriel RossettiDante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 and was later to be the main inspiration for second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement...
. Munro is significant in the history of the movement since he is often cited as a contributor to the controversy over Pre-Raphaelitism in 1850, when he "leaked" the information that the group formed a secret brotherhood.
Munro's sculptures were noted for their formal simplicity. His most famous work was
Paolo and Francesca, which was exhibited at the 1851 exhibition. It depicted the lovers as languid, dreamy and genteel, contributing to the popular image of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
He later created public sculptures in
Berkeley SquareBerkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
and
Hyde Park CornerHyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
, as well as several memorial statues.
External links
- Alexander Munro (1825-1871) at the Victorian Web
The Victorian Web is an online resource of information about the Victorian Era created at Brown University and now funded by the University Scholars Program of the National University of Singapore....
- The Pre-Raph Pack Discover more about the artists, the techniques they used and a timeline spanning 100 years.