Kathleen Parbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathleen Ophir Theodora Parbury
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Born | 23 August 1901 Borehamwood, England
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Died | 1986 (aged 84–85) Northumberland, England
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Alma mater | Slade School of Fine Art |
Known for | Sculpture |
Kathleen Ophir Theodora Parbury (born August 23, 1901 – died 1986) was a talented British artist. She was especially known for making large sculptures. Many of her amazing artworks can be found in churches in Britain and other countries. In 1966, she became a special member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Kathleen Parbury was born in Borehamwood, a town in Hertfordshire, England. She loved art from a young age. Between 1920 and 1924, she went to the Slade School of Fine Art in London. This was a famous art school.
At Slade, she learned from great teachers. One of her teachers was the sculptor James Havard Thomas. He helped her develop her skills in making sculptures.
Creating Amazing Sculptures
Kathleen Parbury became known for her portrait sculptures. These are sculptures that show a person's face or full body. She often worked with bronze, which is a strong metal. She also used other materials for her art.
Some of the famous people she sculpted included:
- Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer
- Sir Vivian Fuchs
- Dame Sybil Thorndike
Sculptures for Churches
Parbury created many large sculptures for churches in Britain. Her biggest work was a group of sculptures called The Risen Christ. This artwork is on an outside wall of the church of St Michael and All Angels in Bemerton, Wiltshire. It shows a figure of Christ with two angels.
In 1958, she made an eight-foot-tall sculpture called Madonna and Child. This beautiful piece is at St Mary's church in West Twyford, London. The next year, she created four sculptures of angels for St Columba's Church in Sutton Coldfield.
Her large sculpture of Saint Aidan was made in 1961. It is on the front of the Church of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne in East Acton. She also made a concrete statue of Aidan for the island of Lindisfarne in 1958.
You can find her sculptures in churches in other countries too. These include Canada, Ireland, and Nigeria. Her work is also in museums in New Zealand and Ohio.
Exhibitions and Later Life
Throughout her career, Kathleen Parbury showed her art in many exhibitions. She often displayed her work with the Royal Society of British Sculptors. In 1966, she was chosen as a Fellow of this important group. This means she was recognized as a very skilled sculptor.
She also exhibited with other art groups. These included the Society of Women Artists and the Royal Scottish Academy.
In 1955, Parbury helped organize a special art show. It was called The Gospel in Sculpture. She worked with another artist named Josefina de Vasconcellos. The exhibition showed Christian art at St John's Wood in London.
Kathleen Parbury also wrote a book about the saints of Lindisfarne. For many years, she lived on the island of Lindisfarne. Before that, she had lived in London and Edinburgh.