Henry Bird (artist)
Encyclopedia
Henry Bird was a British artist from Northampton
who painted mural
s and female nudes. He went to the Royal College of Art
and then designed sets at the Old Vic
, Sadler's Wells and Embassy Theatre
. He taught art history and drawing at the University College of Wales and the Northampton School of Art
.
He was married to the actress Freda Jackson
.
as "One of Britain's most distinguished and versatile artists". The Times
noted that he "was one of comparatively few artists to be thoroughly comfortable with the grand scale of ambitious public painting projects."
In addition to his murals, he was particularly noted for his painting of nude women. He draw and painted female nudes "preferably big and beautiful" tempting them with cream cakes, sherry and gin.
Among his works are the theatrical murals on the Safety curtain
s at Ashcroft Theatre
(1982) and Royal Theatre (Northampton) (1978). He also did church murals at St. Andrew's Church, Kettering, St Margaret's Church, Denton
(1975-76), All Saints' Church, Earls Barton
(1935, rood screen
), and St Crispins Hospital
, Danetree Hospital
, and Northampton Guildhall
.
Henry Bird and his art was the subject of a TV documentary by Anglia Television
in 1981, and had a posthumous exhibition devoted to him called "The Exceptional Henry Bird' in 2009 at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.
He was member of the Art Workers' Guild and the Society of Painters in Tempera
. According to The Independent
, he was "showed widely, including the Tate Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum". He was granted in 1983, a Civil List pension for services to art.
observed that "he demanded high standards of his pupils, requiring them to study, for months, a brick, a milk bottle and an egg. In their first class with him, students innocently surrendered their pencil rubber, which he then instantly ejected through a window on to the car park beneath."
The modernist architect Will Alsop
recalls how Henry Bird taught him drawing with a brick.
. He later said that the "beauty of St Peter's capitals, and the skill with which they were carved, helped to point the way to the kind of life he wanted." He initially worked in factories to fund himself as a student at Northampton School of Art
.
After this he went to the Royal College of Art
where he won "the Painting and Portrait Prizes, the Continuation Scholarship and the Royal College's highest award, the Travelling Scholarship.." Initially, he became head scene painter
at the Old Vic
and at Sadler's Wells. He then was a lecturer in art history and drawing tutor, 1935-1941, at the University College of Wales. After a period as resident designer at the Embassy Theatre
in 1950 he then taught at Northampton School of Art
. Among his students were the sculptor Malcolm Pollard and the architect Will Alsop
.
According his obituary in The Stage
, "He was also something of a genuine eccentric, cutting an imposing figure with his flamboyant dress sense and usually seen around art colleges and galleries sporting a large fedora hat."
He was married to the actress Freda Jackson
to whom he was devoted and committed. They had one son, Julian, a psychiatrist. According to his obituary in the Times, "His first sight of her was her face, suspended halfway up the stage curtain, painted green as a witch in a production of Macbeth at the Royal Theatre, Northampton. With typical decisiveness he said: "That's the woman for me.""
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
who painted mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s and female nudes. He went to the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
and then designed sets at the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
, Sadler's Wells and Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
. He taught art history and drawing at the University College of Wales and the Northampton School of Art
University of Northampton
The University of Northampton is a university in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.-History:In 1924, Northampton Technical College was opened at St George's Avenue, site of the current Avenue Campus. A new building for the college was formally opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York in 1932...
.
He was married to the actress Freda Jackson
Freda Jackson
Freda Maud Jackson was an English stage actress who also worked in film and TV. Born in Nottingham, she was famous for her stage role as the cruel landlady Mrs. Voray in the play No Room at the Inn in the mid-1940s; she appeared in the film adaptation of 1948...
.
Art
He was described in his obituary in The StageThe Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
as "One of Britain's most distinguished and versatile artists". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
noted that he "was one of comparatively few artists to be thoroughly comfortable with the grand scale of ambitious public painting projects."
In addition to his murals, he was particularly noted for his painting of nude women. He draw and painted female nudes "preferably big and beautiful" tempting them with cream cakes, sherry and gin.
Among his works are the theatrical murals on the Safety curtain
Safety curtain
A safety curtain is a fire safety precaution used in large proscenium theatres. It is usually a heavy fibreglass or iron curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based materials were originally used to manufacture the curtain, before the dangers of asbestos were discovered...
s at Ashcroft Theatre
Ashcroft Theatre
The Ashcroft Theatre is a theatre located within the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, South London. The theatre was named after Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft and is a proscenium theatre with a stepped auditorium. The mural on its fire curtain is by the artist Henry Bird. A variety of productions are...
(1982) and Royal Theatre (Northampton) (1978). He also did church murals at St. Andrew's Church, Kettering, St Margaret's Church, Denton
Denton, Northamptonshire
Denton is a small village and civil parish on the A428 Bedford road about south-east of Northampton. It has a pub, the Red Lion, a village hall, a Parish Church, St Margaret's, and a primary school....
(1975-76), All Saints' Church, Earls Barton
All Saints' Church, Earls Barton
After the Danish raids on England, Medehampstede Abbey, a few miles away from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, was rebuilt in about AD 970 to become Peterborough. It is generally accepted that All Saints' Church, Earls Barton was built around this period at the end of the tenth century...
(1935, rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
), and St Crispins Hospital
St Crispins Hospital
St Crispins was a large psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Duston in Northamptonshire, England.It was established in 1876 as the Berrywood Asylum. It closed in 1995...
, Danetree Hospital
Northampton General Hospital
Northampton General Hospital is a NHS Trust hospital in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. The hospital was founded in 1744 and moved to its present site in 1793, and has continued to provide healthcare to the local community for more than 200 years...
, and Northampton Guildhall
Northampton Guildhall
Northampton Guildhall is a building which stands on St Giles' Square in Northampton, England.-Original building:It was built to the design of Edward William Godwin begun when he was only 28 between 1861 and 1864 in neo-gothic style. As well as housing Northampton Borough Council, it is also used...
.
Henry Bird and his art was the subject of a TV documentary by Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
in 1981, and had a posthumous exhibition devoted to him called "The Exceptional Henry Bird' in 2009 at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.
He was member of the Art Workers' Guild and the Society of Painters in Tempera
Society of Painters in Tempera
The Society of Painters in Tempera was founded in 1901 by Christiana Herringham and a group of British painters who were interested in reviving the art of tempera painting. Lady Herringham was an expert copyist of the Italian Old Masters and had translated Il Libro dell' Arte o Trattato della...
. According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, he was "showed widely, including the Tate Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum". He was granted in 1983, a Civil List pension for services to art.
Teaching
He was noted for his method of teaching drawing. His obituary in the TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
observed that "he demanded high standards of his pupils, requiring them to study, for months, a brick, a milk bottle and an egg. In their first class with him, students innocently surrendered their pencil rubber, which he then instantly ejected through a window on to the car park beneath."
The modernist architect Will Alsop
Will Alsop
Will Allen Alsop, OBE RA is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms...
recalls how Henry Bird taught him drawing with a brick.
"He gave me a brick, told me to draw it and promptly left the room. I proceeded to draw it with all its shadows. On his return he went into a rage and chastised me for destroying the vision with shading, shouting: 'What is wrong with a simple line?' He insisted that I redo the drawing with line only so that I could begin to see the brick and its proportions. I drew that brick for two three hour sessions per week, line only, for three months. Eventually, he admitted that I had mastered the brick and I was allowed to progress onto the tin can. After 18 months it was the nude model. His vision was one of economy of line and discipline. It worked."
Life
He was born an only child in a Northampton slum. His father Bill committed suicide after returning disillusioned from the First World War. He was a chorister at St Peter's Church, NorthamptonSt Peter's Church, Northampton
St Peter's Church, Northampton, is a redundant Anglican church in Marefair, Northampton, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
. He later said that the "beauty of St Peter's capitals, and the skill with which they were carved, helped to point the way to the kind of life he wanted." He initially worked in factories to fund himself as a student at Northampton School of Art
University of Northampton
The University of Northampton is a university in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.-History:In 1924, Northampton Technical College was opened at St George's Avenue, site of the current Avenue Campus. A new building for the college was formally opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York in 1932...
.
After this he went to the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
where he won "the Painting and Portrait Prizes, the Continuation Scholarship and the Royal College's highest award, the Travelling Scholarship.." Initially, he became head scene painter
Scenic painting
Theatrical scenic painting includes wide-ranging disciplines, encompassing virtually the entire scope of painting and craft techniques. An experienced scenic painter will have skills in landscape painting, figurative painting, trompe l'oeil, and faux finishing, be versatile in different media such...
at the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
and at Sadler's Wells. He then was a lecturer in art history and drawing tutor, 1935-1941, at the University College of Wales. After a period as resident designer at the Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
in 1950 he then taught at Northampton School of Art
University of Northampton
The University of Northampton is a university in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.-History:In 1924, Northampton Technical College was opened at St George's Avenue, site of the current Avenue Campus. A new building for the college was formally opened by the then Duke and Duchess of York in 1932...
. Among his students were the sculptor Malcolm Pollard and the architect Will Alsop
Will Alsop
Will Allen Alsop, OBE RA is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms...
.
According his obituary in The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
, "He was also something of a genuine eccentric, cutting an imposing figure with his flamboyant dress sense and usually seen around art colleges and galleries sporting a large fedora hat."
He was married to the actress Freda Jackson
Freda Jackson
Freda Maud Jackson was an English stage actress who also worked in film and TV. Born in Nottingham, she was famous for her stage role as the cruel landlady Mrs. Voray in the play No Room at the Inn in the mid-1940s; she appeared in the film adaptation of 1948...
to whom he was devoted and committed. They had one son, Julian, a psychiatrist. According to his obituary in the Times, "His first sight of her was her face, suspended halfway up the stage curtain, painted green as a witch in a production of Macbeth at the Royal Theatre, Northampton. With typical decisiveness he said: "That's the woman for me.""
External Links
- Henry Bird Guardian Obituary
- Exceptional exhibition opens in Northampton, Henry Bird (1909-2000)
- St. Margaret's, Denton. A set of photographs by Jenny Thorpe with text on Flickr many detailing Bird's murals at St. Margaret's, DentonDenton, NorthamptonshireDenton is a small village and civil parish on the A428 Bedford road about south-east of Northampton. It has a pub, the Red Lion, a village hall, a Parish Church, St Margaret's, and a primary school....
- All Saints' Church, Earls Barton A set of photographs by Jenny Thorpe on Flickr some detailing Bird's murals at All Saints' Church, Earls BartonAll Saints' Church, Earls BartonAfter the Danish raids on England, Medehampstede Abbey, a few miles away from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, was rebuilt in about AD 970 to become Peterborough. It is generally accepted that All Saints' Church, Earls Barton was built around this period at the end of the tenth century...