Austin Andrew Wright
Encyclopedia
Austin Andrew Wright was formerly a teacher but found fame as a sculptor.
. Following his teacher training his first post was at The Downs, the Malvern College preparatory school, in 1934, where he taught painting and sculpture as well as French and German. W.H. Auden was a fellow teacher there.
He moved to Yorkshire in 1937 and lived and worked in York (where Auden was born), initially at Bootham School, where he had earlier undertaken his teacher-training and where he began working as a sculptor. Without any formal art training, Austin, according to James Hamilton, The sculpture of Austin Wright, 1994. “approached Henry Moore
for advice and encouragement, and recalled being told, quite bluntly, just to get on with it.”
He branched out into teaching art, subsequently moving to The Mount, where he met Sue Midgley. By the end of the war, and the conclusion of her training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, they married and moved, in 1946, into the 1793 house on the Green at Upper Poppleton
that would become integral to his work..
He was a pivotal figure in the development of sculpture from the 1940s onwards.
By 1954 he had given up teaching to devote his time to sculpture and drawing.
, Kenneth Armitage
and Elisabeth Frink
, he was invited by The British Council
to show in “Younger British Sculptors”, an exhibition that toured Sweden in 1956. This exhibition included Reg Butler
, Lynn Chadwick
, William Turnbull
and Geoffrey Clarke but it was of Wright that the Guardian art critic, Charles Sewter, wrote: “It would not be outrageous to claim that Wright is the most gifted sculptor working in Britain today”.
Although influenced by Henry Moore, and usually seen as an abstract artist, in fact Austin followed his own path, going through several phases in his career, working with different materials and ideas, and making very many sketches as well as sculptures, often figurative as well as abstract. He was strongly influenced by the landscape and flora of Yorkshire; his work revealing the inspiration he felt from nature.
His work, ’’The Argument’’, won the acquisition prize at the São Paulo Biennial
in 1957.
He was Gregory Fellow in Sculpture at Leeds University
from 1961-4 and was awarded an Honorary Degree in 1977 by York University
, where two of his sculptures can be found.
Despite the praise that Austin Wright’s work has received, he is a greatly neglected sculptor. His work has been exhibited widely, and is on public display in many places, with many one-man exhibitions in London and Europe with major retrospectives at Wakefield (1960), Newcastle upon Tyne (1974), the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
(1984), Hull (1988) and York (2011).
Sadly, some of Austin Wright’s works have been vandalised or stolen. One of his best-known works, Two Rings, which sat on Roppa Moor, Helmsley, was assumed to have been (in the words of Wright’s widow, Sue) “removed by the “metal merchants of Middlesbrough”, to melt them down for scrap”.
Further examples of Austin’s works can be viewed at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
.
The Hart Gallery also has a page of some of his sculptures and drawings.
A film about Austin Wright was made in 1970, with the assistance of the Yorkshire Arts Association, by Harry Duffin, who was first met Austin when he came to give a lecture to fellow art students. The film can be viewed in the Yorkshire Film Archive.
“Diffident, modest, as quick to discount praise as to make light of disappointment, deeply rooted in his adopted Yorkshire, he was no more willing to court favours from the metropolis than were London critics to travel north.”
Michael Lyons wrote in “Sculpture” in 1997 that:
“… it was also true that he could have been better known and many people were aware of this. It was not in his nature to seek the limelight, and I think he needed the peace and quiet which allowed him to produce the wonderful, sensitive and ‘innocent’ works which he did. Over exposure would have destroyed his talent and I think he knew it”
A fuller obituary can be found on the Independent's website, written by James Hamilton.
Life
He was brought up in Cardiff where he took his first artistic steps in evening classes at Cardiff Art School before studying Modern Languages at New College, OxfordNew College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. Following his teacher training his first post was at The Downs, the Malvern College preparatory school, in 1934, where he taught painting and sculpture as well as French and German. W.H. Auden was a fellow teacher there.
He moved to Yorkshire in 1937 and lived and worked in York (where Auden was born), initially at Bootham School, where he had earlier undertaken his teacher-training and where he began working as a sculptor. Without any formal art training, Austin, according to James Hamilton, The sculpture of Austin Wright, 1994. “approached Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
for advice and encouragement, and recalled being told, quite bluntly, just to get on with it.”
He branched out into teaching art, subsequently moving to The Mount, where he met Sue Midgley. By the end of the war, and the conclusion of her training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, they married and moved, in 1946, into the 1793 house on the Green at Upper Poppleton
Upper Poppleton
Upper Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated by the West bank of the River Ouse adjacent to Nether Poppleton, and west of York close to the A59 from York to Harrogate. The village is served by Poppleton...
that would become integral to his work..
He was a pivotal figure in the development of sculpture from the 1940s onwards.
By 1954 he had given up teaching to devote his time to sculpture and drawing.
Works
Wright’s early success was fairly rapid. After exhibiting in “Modern Art in Yorkshire” in 1955 alongside Eduardo PaolozziEduardo Paolozzi
Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi, KBE, RA , was a Scottish sculptor and artist. He was a major figure in the international art sphere, while, working on his own interpretation and vision of the world. Paolozzi investigated how we can fit into the modern world to resemble our fragmented civilization...
, Kenneth Armitage
Kenneth Armitage
William Kenneth Armitage CBE was a British sculptor known for his semiabstract bronzes.-Biography:...
and Elisabeth Frink
Elisabeth Frink
Dame Elisabeth Jean Frink, DBE, CH, RA was an English sculptor and printmaker...
, he was invited by The British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
to show in “Younger British Sculptors”, an exhibition that toured Sweden in 1956. This exhibition included Reg Butler
Reg Butler
Reginald Cotterell Butler was an English sculptor. He studied and lectured at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London from 1937 to 1939. He was a conscientious objector during the Second World War, being exempted from military service conditional upon setting up a small...
, Lynn Chadwick
Lynn Chadwick
Lynn Russell Chadwick CBE was an English artist and sculptor trained as an architectural draughtsman,but began producing metal mobile sculpture during the 1940s. Chadwick was born in London and went to Merchant Taylor's School.Chadwick was commissioned to produce 3 works for the 1951 Festival of...
, William Turnbull
William Turnbull (artist)
William Turnbull is a British artist. He is considered one of the finest British artists contributing today. He has always been both a painter and a sculptor And his sculpture is considered influential.- Early life:...
and Geoffrey Clarke but it was of Wright that the Guardian art critic, Charles Sewter, wrote: “It would not be outrageous to claim that Wright is the most gifted sculptor working in Britain today”.
Although influenced by Henry Moore, and usually seen as an abstract artist, in fact Austin followed his own path, going through several phases in his career, working with different materials and ideas, and making very many sketches as well as sculptures, often figurative as well as abstract. He was strongly influenced by the landscape and flora of Yorkshire; his work revealing the inspiration he felt from nature.
His work, ’’The Argument’’, won the acquisition prize at the São Paulo Biennial
São Paulo Art Biennial
The São Paulo Art Biennial was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial , which serves as its role model....
in 1957.
He was Gregory Fellow in Sculpture at Leeds University
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
from 1961-4 and was awarded an Honorary Degree in 1977 by York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, where two of his sculptures can be found.
Despite the praise that Austin Wright’s work has received, he is a greatly neglected sculptor. His work has been exhibited widely, and is on public display in many places, with many one-man exhibitions in London and Europe with major retrospectives at Wakefield (1960), Newcastle upon Tyne (1974), the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England is an open-air gallery showing work by UK and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth...
(1984), Hull (1988) and York (2011).
Sadly, some of Austin Wright’s works have been vandalised or stolen. One of his best-known works, Two Rings, which sat on Roppa Moor, Helmsley, was assumed to have been (in the words of Wright’s widow, Sue) “removed by the “metal merchants of Middlesbrough”, to melt them down for scrap”.
Further examples of Austin’s works can be viewed at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England is an open-air gallery showing work by UK and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth...
.
The Hart Gallery also has a page of some of his sculptures and drawings.
A film about Austin Wright was made in 1970, with the assistance of the Yorkshire Arts Association, by Harry Duffin, who was first met Austin when he came to give a lecture to fellow art students. The film can be viewed in the Yorkshire Film Archive.
Obituary
As Timothy Rogers wrote in Wright’s obituary in the Guardian:“Diffident, modest, as quick to discount praise as to make light of disappointment, deeply rooted in his adopted Yorkshire, he was no more willing to court favours from the metropolis than were London critics to travel north.”
Michael Lyons wrote in “Sculpture” in 1997 that:
“… it was also true that he could have been better known and many people were aware of this. It was not in his nature to seek the limelight, and I think he needed the peace and quiet which allowed him to produce the wonderful, sensitive and ‘innocent’ works which he did. Over exposure would have destroyed his talent and I think he knew it”
A fuller obituary can be found on the Independent's website, written by James Hamilton.