Collection: Bernard Meadows   1915 - 2005 

Meadows was born in Norwich, the son of middle-class parents who encouraged him to train as an accountant. Meadows failed hopelessly at this project and persuaded his parents to allow him to go to Norwich School of Art. It was there that a friend of Meadows who knew Henry Moore arranged for him to visit the sculptor’s studio; Moore followed up the visit by writing to Meadows inviting him to come and help him in his holidays.

That Easter of 1936 at Moore’s studio confirmed Meadow’s future as an artist. At the age of 21, he took part in the first surrealist exhibition in London, but the peak of his fame came with his showing at the British Pavilion at the 1952 Venice Biennale. After 12 years teaching at Chelsea School of Art, he was to become for 20 years an inspirational professor of sculpture at the RCA, whose best pupils included Elisabeth Frink.