Gilbert Bayes
Encyclopedia
Gilbert William Bayes RA (4 April 1872 – 1953) was a British sculptor and medalist.
and Harry Bates
, and so became associated with the British New Sculpture
movement and its focus on architectural sculpture.
Bayes is perhaps best remembered for his interest in color, his association with the Royal Doulton
Company, and his work in polychrome ceramics and enamelled bronze. His major ceramic frieze at the Doulton Headquarters of 1938 was removed in the 1960s when the building was razed, and re-located to the gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum
which bears his name. He also designed a number of war memorials, with public work throughout the former Empire, from New South Wales to Bangalore.
He eventually served as President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors
from 1939 through 1944. He died in London in 1953. Bayes' home at 4 Greville Place in London bears a blue plaque placed by English Heritage
.
Career
Born in London into a family of artists, Bayes' lengthy and illustrious career began as a student under Sir George FramptonGeorge Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, RA was a notable British sculptor and leading member of the New Sculpture movement.-Early life and career:...
and Harry Bates
Harry Bates (sculptor)
Harry Bates A.R.A. , English sculptor, was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Bates was elected to the Royal Academy in 1892 as A.R.A. and was an active, if intermittent, member of the Art Workers Guild. He was a central figure in the British movement known as the New Sculpture...
, and so became associated with the British New Sculpture
New Sculpture
The New Sculpture refers to a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture.The term "New Sculpture" was coined by the first historian of the movement, the critic Edmund Gosse, who wrote a four-part series for the Art Journal in 1894...
movement and its focus on architectural sculpture.
Bayes is perhaps best remembered for his interest in color, his association with the Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
Company, and his work in polychrome ceramics and enamelled bronze. His major ceramic frieze at the Doulton Headquarters of 1938 was removed in the 1960s when the building was razed, and re-located to the gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
which bears his name. He also designed a number of war memorials, with public work throughout the former Empire, from New South Wales to Bangalore.
He eventually served as President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors
Royal British Society of Sculptors
The Royal British Society of Sculptors is a registered charity whose aims are to promote and support sculpture. It has a worldwide membership....
from 1939 through 1944. He died in London in 1953. Bayes' home at 4 Greville Place in London bears a blue plaque placed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Personal life
In 1906, Bayes married Gertrude Smith, a fellow sculptor, in Farnham, Surrey. They had two children:- Eleanor Jean Gilbert Bayes (1908-1999), also an artist
- Geoffrey Gilbert Bayes (1912-2001)
Work
- exterior work at the Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
under Sir Aston Webb, London, circa 1909 - Destiny, Albion Gardens, RamsgateRamsgateRamsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, dedicated 1920 - the Todmorden War MemorialTodmorden War MemorialTodmorden War Memorial is a war memorial located in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England.The memorial is in the garden of remembrance in Centre Vale Park, Burnley Road with sculptural work by Gilbert Bayes. The War Memorial was unveiled on 9 October 1921....
, West YorkshireWest YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, 1921 - Offerings of Peace at the Art Gallery of New South WalesArt Gallery of New South WalesThe Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
, 1923 - the National War MemorialNational War Memorial (Newfoundland)The National War Memorial in Downtown St. John's is the most elaborate of all the post World War I monuments in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was erected at King's Beach on Water Street where, in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England. It was formally unveiled on Memorial Day,...
, St. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, 1924 - the Queen of Time bronze group above the Oxford Street entrance to London SelfridgesSelfridgesSelfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
, 1928 - Drama Through the Ages, polychrome ceramic frieze for the Saville TheatreSaville TheatreThe Saville Theatre is a former West End theatre at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. The theatre opened in 1931, and became a music venue during the 1960s, finally being converted to a cinema in 1970.-Theatre years:...
(now the Odeon Covent Garden cinema), London, 1931 - exterior bas-reliefs and interior work at the BBC Broadcasting HouseBroadcasting HouseBroadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
, London, 1931 - six allegorical relief panels, Commercial Bank of ScotlandCommercial Bank of ScotlandThe Commercial Bank of Scotland Ltd. was a Scottish commercial bank. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1810, and obtained a royal charter in 1831. It grew substantially through the 19th and early 20th centuries, until 1959, when it merged with the National Bank of Scotland to become the National...
, Bothwell Street, Glasgow, 1934-35 - History of Pottery through the Ages, polychrome ceramic frieze for the London headquarters of the Royal DoultonRoyal DoultonThe Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
Company, 1938 - two memorial bronzes at the St James' Church, WarterSt James' Church, WarterSt James’ Church lies in Warter, an estate village in England, in the Yorkshire Wolds, part of the East Riding of Yorkshire.-Origins and History:...
- statue of J.N. TataJamsetji TataJamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and industrialist, prominent for his pioneering work in Indian industry. He was born to a Parsi family in Navsari, Gujarat, India....
at the Indian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of ScienceIndian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
, BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and... - "Blue Robed Bambino" fountain at the Centre William RappardCentre William RappardThe Centre William Rappard at Rue de Lausanne 154, Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1923 and 1926 to house the International Labour Office . It was the first building in Geneva designed to house an international organization...
, GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(also known as "Child with Fish") - Reliefs featuring musicians and other figures on a building in Cavendish Square, London. The house in question had been the piano showroom of Brinmeads the English piano manufacturer.