F E McWilliam

F. E. McWilliam (1909 - 1993)

Frederick Edward McWilliam trained at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1928 to 1931, and subsequently in Paris, from 1931 to 1932. He became a member of the English Surrealists in 1938, and was a member of the Royal Academy in London from 1940 to 1945. In 1949 he became a member of the London Group.

His dextrous skill enabled him to work in materials including wood, stone, bronze and plastics, producing sculptures based on diverse sources of inspiration, such as Brancusi, Henry Moore and Giacometti. He also modelled a number of portraits. Human figures are a constant motif in his work. McWilliam is noted for his heiratic, etiolated figure of Princess Macha, created while in hospital in Derry in Northern Ireland. The figure's small head accentuates the development of the body, which features a number of elements drawn from Celtic art. His work featured in the main European sculpture exhibitions: London, Antwerp-Middelheim and Sonsbeek, and at the São Paulo Biennale of 1957.

Text Source: Benezit Dictionary of Aritsts