Graham Ibbeson

Ibbeson's statue of Eric Morecambe in Morecambe, Lancashire
Ibbeson's statue of Arthur Louis Aaron in Leeds

Graham Ibbeson MBE (born 1951) is a British artist and sculptor, known for the realistic figurative sculptures he has created for public commissions in the United Kingdom.

Biography

Ibbeson was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and from 1972 to 1973 attended Leicester Polytechnic.[1] From 1973 to 1975 he studied at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham before spending three years at the Royal College of Art in London.[1] While still a student there Ibbeson won commissions from both the Commonwealth Institute and the London Symphony Orchestra and in 1978 received the Madame Tussaud Award for Figurative Art.[1] Exhibitions of his work have been held at the Nottingham Castle Museum, at the Royal College of Art Gallery in London, at the Olanda Kelly Gallery in Chicago and, frequently, at the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery in London.[1]

Ibbeson has created bronze sculptures in towns and cities across Britain including of Fred Trueman in Skipton, Don Revie in Leeds,[2] of Thomas Chippendale in Otley, and others in Cardiff, Dover, Barnsley, Doncaster, Northampton, Chesterfield, Middlesbrough, Perth and Rugby.

One of Ibbeson's most famous pieces is the Statue of Eric Morecambe, which stands in the comedian's seaside hometown of Morecambe, Lancashire and which was unveiled by the Queen. In 2001 Ibbeson's statue of Arthur Louis Aaron (recipient of the Victoria Cross) was erected in Leeds.[3] His bronze statue of Cary Grant was unveiled in 2001 in Millennium Square in Grant's hometown of Bristol.[4] Ibbeson has also sculpted Laurel and Hardy; the bronze statue was erected in Laurel's home town of Ulverston in April 2009.[5] Another commission was a statue of Benny Hill for the comedian's hometown of Southampton.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 1, A to L. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0-953260-95-X.
  2. ^ "Don Revie statue unveiled 40 years after FA Cup victory". BBC. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ "The Arthur Aaron Statue". Leeds Civic Trust. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Bristol celebrates Hollywood 'son'". BBC News. 8 December 2001.
  5. ^ "Laurel and Hardy statue prompts call for a halt to UK's local hero bronzes". The Guardian. 16 August 2007.
  6. ^ "Graham Ibbeson Sculptor". Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.

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