Joyce Bidder facts for kids

Muriel Joyce Bidder (born January 5, 1906 – died February 26, 1999) was an English sculptor. She made many sculptures using different materials throughout her long career.

About Her Life

Muriel Bidder was born in Wimbledon, a part of London. She studied art at the Wimbledon School of Art. There, she learned from a sculptor named Stanley Nicholson Babb.

In 1933, Muriel met Daisy Borne. Muriel taught Daisy how to carve sculptures. They opened a studio together in Wimbledon. They remained close friends and colleagues for their whole lives.

Muriel Bidder used many different materials for her art. These included bronze, green slate, marble, terracotta, stone, and wood. She often used woods like walnut, Spanish chestnut, oak, and mahogany. She made small statues, groups of figures, and flat artworks called reliefs. Her sculptures often showed sports, like her piece Tackled. She also created scenes of workers doing their jobs.

Exhibitions and Memberships

Muriel Bidder showed her art often at the Royal Academy in London. She exhibited there from 1931 to 1957. She also showed 65 pieces with the Society of Women Artists between 1933 and 1971.

In 1949, she became an Associate of the Society of Women Artists. Two years later, she became a full member. She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

Her work was part of an exhibition in 1986 called Sculpture in Britain Between the Wars. This show was put on by the Fine Art Society. The Fine Art Society also held a special exhibition for Muriel Bidder and Daisy Borne in 1987.