John Skeaping facts for kids

John Rattenbury Skeaping (born June 9, 1901 – died March 5, 1980) was a talented English artist. He was known for his sculptures and for painting and sculpting horses. He created animal figures for the famous company Wedgwood. One of his most famous works is a life-size statue of the racehorse Secretariat, which you can see at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

About John Skeaping

Akua-ba, a sculpture by Skeaping from 1931.

Skeaping's life-size statue of the famous racehorse Secretariat in New York.

Mill Reef (1972), a sculpture of another famous horse.

John Skeaping was born in South Woodford, Essex, England. His father, Kenneth Mathieson Skeaping, was also a painter. John studied art at several well-known schools in London. These included Goldsmith's College, the Central School of Arts and Crafts, and the Royal Academy.

In 1924, John won a special award called the British Prix de Rome. This award gave him a scholarship to study art in Rome, Italy.

While studying in Rome, John met another sculptor named Barbara Hepworth. They got married in 1924. They even had a joint art show together in 1928. However, their marriage ended in 1933.

After World War II, Skeaping spent some time working in Mexico. During the war, he was asked to create a portrait sculpture for the War Artists' Advisory Committee. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1960. He had been showing his art there since 1922.

John Skeaping also wrote several books about drawing. His autobiography, Drawn from Life, was published in 1977. From 1948, he taught sculpture at the Royal College of Art. He was a professor of sculpture there from 1953 to 1959.

Later in his life, Skeaping lived in Devon, England. In 1959, he moved to the Camargue region of France. The Tate Gallery, a famous art museum, owns eight of his artworks. His art was also part of an art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Animals for Wedgwood

John Skeaping was well-known for designing animal figures for the famous pottery company, Wedgwood. He created many different animal sculptures that were then made into pottery.

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  Monkeys

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  Bison

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  Polar bear