Paul Mount
In a world where we are surrounded in a plethora of objects, machines, furniture, which scarcely draw a second glance, the impact of Paul Mount’s sculpture is immediate. Light plays on every plane, glittering off one, slanting off another, challenging our very consciousness of space. Mount’s work preserves elements of the precision of geometry, but the logic of his work is intuitive and adventurous, preferring an asymmetrical balance over the regularity of a more predictable form. It is a dynamic equilibrium, which invites us to contemplate and explore the work’s astonishing complexity and strength.
A love of music and dance, his time in West Africa, a passion for Romanesque art; all are manifest in his sculpture, as is his instinctive feeling for his materials- the brilliance and precision of the stainless steel pieces; the subtle elegance of the patinated bronzes and the power and gravity of his work in cast iron.
Paul Mount attended the Royal College of Art and lectured at Winchester School of Art. His commissions include the ‘Spirit of Bristol’ in St. James’s Square Bristol; the British Steel Corporation, London; the Cabinet Offices, Accra, Ghana and Chase Manhattan Bank in Lagos, Nigeria. His work has been shown in Spain, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S.A, as well as numerous galleries and sculpture parks in the U.K., including Marlborough Fine Art and the New Art Centre. His work has been shown in a major show at Beaux Arts in London in March 2009, and is well known to regular visitors to Beaux Arts in Bath over the last three decades.
1922
Born in Newton Abbot
1937
Attends Paignton School of Art
1940-41
Studies painting at the Royal College of Art (when based in Ambleside)
1941-46
A pacifist, he opts for work with the Friends Ambulance Unit. Goes to Morocco in 1943 to join the French 2nd Armoured Division as an ambulance driver; also sees service in the campaign for liberation of Paris and Strasbourg. Learns French and encounters French Romanesque art for the first time. Marries first wife, Jeanne Martin, a fellow Ambleside student.
1946-48
Returns to the Royal College of Art, now based back in London, where his focus is painting portraits and urban landscapes.
1948-55
Teaches drawing and painting at Winchester School of Art. Exhibits at the Royal Academy, the London Group and The Royal Portrait Society, among others.
1955-61
Secures job setting up an art department at the YABA Technical Institute in Lagos, Nigeria; is given an empty building, no funds and has to recruit his own students. Has to teach every aspect of his subject, and even design furniture for his studio and new home. As a result, is commissioned by an architect to design furniture for one of his projects. Though never trained as a sculptor, Mount realizes his students are more likely to earn a living through 3-D work and employs a traditional wood carver from Benin to pass on his skills to the students. Through his architectural contacts he takes on various sculptural projects together with his students. Finds himself increasingly absorbed by his interest in sculpture.
1961-62
Spends a year as a design consultant with Borys Group (architects) in Lagos and undertakes first large-scale architectural reliefs.
1962
Returns to Cornwall, where he sets up a working studio in Nancherrow, near St Just, with his wife, painter June Miles. Develops his sculptural techniques, learning to weld from a local blacksmith and begins to get commissions. Becomes a member of the Newlyn and Penwith Societies of Artists and shows both painting and sculpture alongside Hepworth, Heron and Hilton.
1965
First London show as a sculptor at the Drian Gallery
1975
Solo exhibition at Marlborough Fine Art, London
1976
Divorces Jeanne and marries painter June Miles
1978-87
Exhibits regularly at the New Art Centre, London
2001
Exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery
2009
Died 10 January
First solo show with Beaux Arts, London
Selected solo shows
1965
Drian Gallery, London
1968
John Whibley Gallery, London
1970
John Whibley Gallery, London
1972
John Whibley Gallery, London
1973
Galerie Ruf, Munich, Germany
1975
Marlborough Fine Art, London
1976
South West Arts
1978
New Art Centre, London
1979
Galerie Contemporaine, Geneva
1980
New Art Centre, London
1981
Galerie Ruf, Munich, Germany
1983
New Art Centre, London
1987
New Art Centre, London
1989
Beaux Arts Bath
1991
New Art Centre, London Penwith Gallery, St Ives
1998
Penwith Gallery, St Ives
2001
Falmouth Art Gallery
2003
Beaux Arts Bath
2004
Thompsons Gallery, London
2008
Beaux Arts Bath
Gibberd Gallery, Harlow
2009
Beaux Arts, London
Penwith Gallery, St Ives
2011
Beaux Arts, London