Maggi Hambling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maggi Hambling
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Hambling in 2006
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| Born | 23 October 1945 Sudbury, England
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| Nationality | British |
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| Known for | painting, sculpture |
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Margaret J. Hambling (born 23 October 1945) is a famous British artist. She is mainly known for her paintings. However, some of her most well-known public artworks are sculptures. These include A Conversation with Oscar Wilde and A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft in London. Another famous work is the 4-meter-tall steel Scallop on Aldeburgh beach.
Contents
Early Life and Art Education
Maggi Hambling was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. Her father, Harry Hambling, worked at a bank and was also a local politician. Her mother, Marjorie, taught ballroom dancing. Maggi had two older siblings, Ann and Roger.
Maggi was very close to her mother. She also learned about art from her father. When her father retired, Maggi gave him some oil paints. He turned out to be a talented painter! He even had several successful art shows.
Maggi first started studying art at the Amberfield School in Nacton. She then went to the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in 1960. Later, she studied at Ipswich School of Art (1962–64). She also attended Camberwell (1964–67). Finally, she graduated from the Slade School of Art at UCL in 1969.
Art Career and Famous Works
Maggi Hambling is well-known for her detailed paintings of land and sea. This includes a famous series of paintings about the North Sea. Many of her portraits are displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
In 1980, Hambling became the first artist in residence at the National Gallery. This means she was invited to work and create art there. After this, she painted a series of portraits of the comedian Max Wall.
Hambling has also taught art at the Wimbledon School of Art. Women are often featured in her portrait series. The National Portrait Gallery asked her to paint Professor Dorothy Hodgkin in 1985. This portrait shows Hodgkin at a desk with four hands. Each hand is busy doing a different task.
Her artworks are kept in many public collections. These include the British Museum, Tate Collection, National Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hambling is known for painting people who have passed away. She painted portraits of her parents and Henrietta Moraes after their deaths. She said she found it helpful to continue painting them. Some of her recent art is inspired by strong feelings. These feelings come from concerns about the planet, politics, and social issues. She has also said, "Making a work of art is making a work of love."
In 2013, she had an exhibition at Snape during the Aldeburgh Festival. She also had a solo exhibition at the Hermitage in St Petersburg.
Hambling supports Paintings in Hospitals. This is a charity that provides art for hospitals and care centers.
Public Sculptures
Oscar Wilde Memorial
In 1998, Maggi Hambling created an outdoor sculpture. It is located at Charing Cross in central London. This sculpture is a memorial to the writer Oscar Wilde. It was the first public monument to him outside of his home country, Ireland.
The idea for a memorial came from Derek Jarman in the 1980s. A group of people, including famous actors and a poet, raised money for it. They asked Hambling to create the sculpture. Her design shows Wilde rising from a polished green granite coffin. He is holding a cigarette. The "coffin" is meant to be a public bench. Visitors can sit next to the writer's statue. This is why Hambling called it A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.
The sculpture has a quote from Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan. It says: "We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars." Some art critics did not like the sculpture. However, many people who supported it said the public loved it. The cigarette on the statue was often removed by people. It is no longer replaced.
Benjamin Britten Memorial: The Scallop
The Scallop sculpture was created in 2003. It celebrates the composer Benjamin Britten. The sculpture stands on the beach outside Aldeburgh, Suffolk. This area is close to where Britten lived and near Hambling's village.
The sculpture is 4 meters (13 feet) tall. It is made of cast stainless steel. It looks like two broken halves of a scallop shell. The sculpture has a quote from Britten's opera Peter Grimes. It says: "I hear those voices that will not be drowned."
Hambling describes Scallop as a conversation with the sea. She said that at the center of the sculpture, you can hear the waves and winds. Visitors can sit there and think about the sea's power. Some people felt the sculpture did not fit the natural beauty of the beach. A local petition against it gathered many signatures. The sculpture has also been damaged a few times.
For this artwork, Hambling received the 2006 Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture. This award recognizes excellent public sculptures.
Mary Wollstonecraft Memorial
In May 2018, Hambling was chosen to create a statue for Mary Wollstonecraft. Wollstonecraft was an important writer and thinker. She is known as a "foremother of feminism." The "Mary on the Green" campaign had been working since 2011 to create a memorial for her. They chose Hambling for the sculpture.
Hambling's design shows a figure, described as an "everywoman." This figure appears to be coming out of organic material. The idea comes from Wollstonecraft's claim to be "the first of a new genus." Wollstonecraft's famous quote is on the base of the sculpture. It says: "I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves."
The sculpture is called A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft. It was revealed in Newington Green, north London, on 10 November 2020. This area is known as the birthplace of feminism. This is because Wollstonecraft lived and worked there.
The sculpture caused some debate. Some people did not like the design. Hambling defended her choice. She said that clothes would have limited the figure. She felt that statues in old costumes look like they belong only to the past. She wanted the figure to feel "now." The design was purposely different from older, traditional statues of male heroes. The people behind the campaign said the figure has "evolved organically from" and "is supported by" all her predecessors.
Awards and Recognition
In 1995, Maggi Hambling won the Jerwood Painting Prize. In the same year, she received an OBE. This award was for her contributions to painting. In 2005, she received the Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture for her Scallop artwork.
In the 2010 New Year Honours, she was awarded a CBE. This award was for her services to art.
Personal Life
Maggi Hambling lives in a cottage near Saxmundham in Suffolk. She has been in a long-term relationship with fellow artist Victoria Dennistoun.
Political Views
Maggi Hambling stopped smoking in 2004. She was involved in a campaign against the total ban on smoking in public places in England. This ban started on 1 July 2007. She spoke at the House of Commons in 2007. She said she supported the campaign against the ban. She believed people should have the freedom to choose. She started smoking again on her 65th birthday.
In August 2014, Hambling was one of 200 public figures. They signed a letter to The Guardian newspaper. The letter was against Scottish independence. This was before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum in September.
Images for kids
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Hambling in 2006
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A Conversation with Oscar Wilde, central London.
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Hambling's Scallop stands on the north end of Aldeburgh beach.
