Wendy Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wendy Taylor
Octo, Milton Keynes
Education	St Martin's School of Art
Known for	Sculpture
Movement	Modernism

Wendy Ann Taylor CBE (born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, 1945) is a famous English artist and sculptor. She is known for creating large, lasting sculptures that are made for specific places, often outdoors. Wendy Taylor was one of the first artists of her time to bring art out of galleries and into public spaces. Her artworks often look like they are carefully balanced, even though they are very big.

Early Life and Learning

Wendy Taylor studied art in London at the Saint Martin's School of Art. She went there from 1963 to 1967. After her studies, she became well-known for her many sculptures placed in public areas, especially around London.

Her Art Career

Timepiece, a sculpture by Wendy Taylor near Tower Bridge in St Katharine Docks.

Wendy Taylor's sculptures are often abstract, meaning they don't look like real objects. She explores ideas like balance, different materials, and how things are made. She believes her art helps people communicate and think.

From 1981 to 1999, Wendy was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission. This group helps make sure new buildings and public spaces look good. She also helped plan designs for new towns. In 1988, a TV show called The South Bank Show made a documentary about her work. Later, in 1992, a book was written about her art.

In 1988, Wendy Taylor received a special award called a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This is a high honor given by the British Queen or King. In 1999, she helped fix up the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument in Blackwall, London. She added a special old tool called a mariner's astrolabe to it.

In 2005, a big show of her art called The Seed Series was held at the Cass Sculpture Foundation. This show later moved to Canary Wharf in London in 2009.

Three of her sculptures are so important that they are listed as Grade II structures. This means they are protected because of their special history or design. These include the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument, Timepiece in St Katharine Docks, and the Octo sculpture in Milton Keynes. The Octo is a tall, curvy sculpture made of shiny steel. It was one of the first public artworks in Milton Keynes.

Wendy Taylor's Spirit of Enterprise (1995) at Canary Wharf, London.

Wendy Taylor lives and works in London. She is also a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society, which means she supports animal welfare.

The Time Party Issue

In 2019, Wendy Taylor had a disagreement with a small political group called The Time Party. This party used a picture of her sculpture Timepiece on their website and on things they sold. Wendy told a newspaper that it wasn't about politics for her. She said, "It is about using Timepiece in a way I did not intend." She felt they were using her art without her permission.

Art Shows

Wendy Taylor has shown her art in many places. Here are some of her exhibitions:

• Kasmin Gallery, 1966.
• Axiom Gallery, London, 1970.
• Angela Flowers Gallery, London, 1972.
• World Trade Centre, London, 1974.
• Annely Juda Fine Art, London, 1975.
• 'Building Art- The Process', The Building Centre Gallery, London, 1986.
• 'The Seed Series', Cass Sculpture Foundation Gallery, London, 2005.
• 'The Seed Series', Canary Wharf, London, 2009.

Her Sculptures

The astrolabe added by Wendy Taylor to the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument.

Jester, a sculpture in Cambridge.

The Dung Beetles sculpture at London Zoo.

Here are some of the sculptures Wendy Taylor has created:

• 1971: Triad, Somerville College, Oxford
• 1973: Timepiece, St Katharine Docks, London
• 1979/80: Octo, Norfolk House, Milton Keynes
• 1982: Essence, Saxon Court, Milton Keynes
• 1983: Gazebo, Golders Hill Park, London Barnet
• 1986: Pharos, East Kilbride South Lanarkshire
• 1987: Docklands Enterprise, West Dock/Marsh Lane
• 1987: Globe Sundial Sculpture, Marine Walk, Swansea
• 1994: Jester, Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens, Purchase, USA
• 1997: Rope Circle, Hermitage Basin, London
• 1997: Spirit of Barrow
• 1999: Dung Beetles, Millennium Conservation Centre, Regent's Park, London
• 1999: Virginia Quay Settlers Monument, Jamestown Way, London (she restored this monument from 1928)
• 2000: Tortoises with Triangle and Time, Holland Park, London
• 2000: The Millennium Fountain, River Walk, Enfield
• 2001: Voyager, Wapping High Street
• 2003: Knowledge, Library Square, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London
• 2006: Sycamore, sculpture garden at Cass Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood

Awards She Has Won