The new term has started and our students have returned - but they aren’t the only new residents! Full-sized sculptures of animals and figures from Brian Taylor’s collection ‘A Consistent Vision’, have taken up residence in the Menuhin Hall and grounds and will be here for the next few weeks. The sculptures share the exhibition limelight with a collection of paintings by his wife L Michèle Franklin.
Brian Taylor (FRBS, FSPS) was a celebrated figurative sculptor who began his studies at the Sutton School of Arts and Crafts, and then the Slade School of Art, where he was mentored by Henry Moore. He won a three-year scholarship to Rome and then lived and worked in Italy before returning to England to teach at the Camberwell College of Art and Crafts, which was where he met Michèle. This exhibition celebrates the life that Taylor and Franklin shared before Taylor’s untimely death in 2013.
Michèle is a practising artist producing oil paintings and drawings. “It was because of [Brian] that I learnt a sculptor's approach to drawing and have included this in my approach to painting as well as drawing. So when I paint from life, I plan and try to create three-dimensional space but I also follow my intuition not always knowing where it will lead me.“
The exhibition includes oil paintings, charcoal etchings and bronze sculptures and will be available for viewing and purchase until Thursday 27 October. All purchases include a donation to The Yehudi Menuhin School.
The exhibition is open during all concerts and during Box Office opening hours from 10am – 3pm Monday – Friday.
Read more about Brian Taylor and L Michèle Franklin
