STUDY FOR HIGH WINDS

This lovely watercolour is the original work created for the bronze "High Wind" series. Lynn Chadwick was born in London on 24 November 1914. He attended Merchant Taylors School, and from 1933 to 1939 he worked as an architectural draughtsman in various London practices. During World War Two he served in the Fleet Air Arm, and his experience of speed, flight and movement were to influence his future work. After the war he returned to his work as an architectural draughtsman, but began to experiment with suspended mobiles. This led to his work being exhibited in London, and to commissions for the 1951 Festival of Britain. His desire to further his technical skills led to his taking a course in oxygen welding, the results of which enabled him to extend his artistic language. In 1953 he entered the international competition for a memorial to The Unknown Political Prisoner. Although he did not win, he was awarded an Honourable Mention and a cash prize. During the 1950s his reputation grew when his sculptures were awarded major international prizes at Venice, Padua and Lugano, and were shown at the Venice Biennale. At the end of the decade he bought Lypiatt Park in Gloucestershire, where he established a sculpture park in which to display his work. As his fame grew, he received commissions for work in Europe, America and throughout the world. He was made a CBE in 1964, and an officer of the Ordre des Lettres in 1985. Lyyn Chadwick died in 2003.