Gwynneth Holt
Gwynneth Holt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rose Gwynneth Cobden Holt 1909 Wednesbury, England |
| Died | 1995 (aged 85–86) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Wolverhampton College of Art |
| Known for | Sculpture |
Rose Gwynneth Cobden Holt (1909–1995), was a British artist known for her ivory sculptures on religious subjects. Her most famous work is a depiction of the Annunciation, created circa 1946.
Biography
Holt was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire in 1909.[1] She was the eldest of three daughters and after attending St Anne's Convent in Birmingham, was accepted into Wolverhampton School of Art aged 16.[2] There she studied under Richard Emerson and met a fellow student, T. B. Huxley-Jones, whom she married in 1934.[3][4] They were both awarded places at the Royal College of Art but Holt did not take her place due to the financial burden on her family.
Huxley-Jones studied under Richard Garbe, an eminent sculptor in ivory and tortoiseshell, materials not commonly used by sculptors at the time. He would influence the direction of both their work. In 1934, Huxley-Jones was appointed Head of Sculpture at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, where the couple were based for twelve years. It was during this time that Holt created Annunciation.
Holt went on to produce numerous ecclesiastical commissions and exhibited widely, including at the Royal Society of British Sculptors, the Society of Portrait Sculptors, the Royal Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts.[3] She was also among the first female members of the Royal Society of Sculptors.[5] However, she expressed with frustration, her feelings on the male-dominated nature of the profession.
"Women are just as intelligent as men, and their contribution to art is just as valuable: They are not given a chance to take art up seriously. What with looking after the house, there is not much time left for concentrating on art."[3]
Works held in public collections
| Title | Year | Medium | Gallery no. | Gallery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Gordon | 1966–1974 | bronze | 1993-0341 | Manx National Heritage | Isle of Man |
| Girl Holding a Book | – | terracotta | 1995.1004 | Chelmsford Museum | Essex, England |
| Hall Caine | mid-20th C | ceramic | 1993-0342 | Manx National Heritage | Isle of Man |
| Head of a Girl | – | plaster | 1995.377 | Chelmsford Museum | Essex, England |
| Reverend John Finlay Rutherford | 1950s | bronze | TUF1 | Chelmsford Museum | Essex, England |
Works held in private collections
| Title | Year | Medium | Collection | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two figures | - | bronze | Collection of C P Ridley RIBA | United Kingdom |
| Two figures | - | clay maquette | Collection of C P Ridley RIBA | Hong Kong |
References
- ^ "Holt, Rose Gwynneth Cobden 1909–1995". www.artbiogs.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "(Rose) Gwynneth Cobden Holt – Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951". sculpture.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ a b c Strang, Alice (2015). Modern Scottish Women. National Galleries of Scotland. ISBN 9781906270896.
- ^ "Gwynneth Holt (1909–1995)". eynsham-pc.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ "Uncovering the life and work of forgotten women sculptors – Museum Crush". museumcrush.org. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
External links
- 8 artworks by or after Gwynneth Holt at the Art UK site