Jim Mathieson

1931-2003

Exhibition: 4 - 18 March 2005

We are delighted to present this major exhibition of Jim Mathieson's work.

Coming late to sculpture, Jim initially supported himself by teaching figure modelling and with private portrait and figure commissions. An active and much valued senior member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors, his most ambitious public sculpture was a much praised bronze statue - at one and a quarter life size - of the painter William Hogarth and his dog Trump, unveiled before a large crowd in Chiswick, west London in 2001. We will be exhibiting a full size aluminium cast of this fascinating sculpture together with a number of photographs of the work in progress giving a most interesting insight into the process of its production. Many of Jim's other portrait and figurative pieces will also be on display.

In the ten years before his death from cancer, Jim began to make " a series of abstract sculptures, trying to capture the idea of sexuality in plants and animals." He described himself as "basically a naturalist who reduces human, animal and plant forms to arrive at an essence of an idea that transcends realism." He saw these developing works as "an evolutionary family constantly changing and evolving into new forms." In his last series he was exploring, with his typical irreverence and sense of whimsy, how the incredible diversity of machine made forms mirrors the precision of Nature's engineering. These smaller, more intimate pieces will also be exhibited.

Nigel Hunter