Wendy Taylor (b. 1945)

Sculptor, printmaker and draughtsman born at Stamford, Lincolnshire, but living for many years in East London. She studied at St Martin’s School of Art, 1962–67, winning in 1964 the Walter Neurath award and in 1966 the Sainsbury award. In 1977, she obtained both an Arts Council award and a gold medal in the Listowel Graphics Exhibition, County Kerry, Eire. Taylor had the first of many solo exhibitions in 1970, at the Axiom Gallery, and has participated in many group exhibitions. Her appearances have been fewer since 1981 as she has ‘chosen to concentrate on working in the field of commissioned sculptures’. Two of Taylor’s commissions have been grade II listed by Historic England: Timepiece, 1972–73, Tower Hotel, St Katherine Docks, London, and Octo, 1979–80, Milton Keynes, while a third, her mariner’s astrolabe addition to the subsequently listed Virginia Settlers Memorial, Brunswick Quay, London, was cited by Historic England as one of the reasons for its listing. Her entry for the 2000 ‘Bronze: Contemporary British Sculpture’ exhibition at Holland Park, Tortoises with Triangle and Time, was subsequently retained as a permanent feature. Other major commissions include Dung Beetles, 1999, London Zoo, Regent’s Park; Millennium Fountain, 2000, Chase Green, Enfield, Middlesex (Civic Trust Award 2002); Through the Loop, 2002, Pacific Place, Hong Kong; Knowledge, 2003, Queen Mary College, University of London (Building of the Year Award, Architectural Sculpture 2004); Square Chain Piece, 2007, Hillside, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA; Memorial to the Civilian Dead of East London 1939–1945, 2007, Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden, Wapping; Unity, 2011, Unison Centre, Euston Road, London; and Swirl, 2013, The Atrium, Park Road, Regent’s Park, London. Taylor was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission, 1981–99; appointed CBE in 1988; elected a fellow of the Zoological Society in 1989, of the RBS in 1994 (council member 1999–2000), and of the Royal Society of Arts 2004.

Sources: Wendy Taylor website; Historic England official list entries: Octo; Timepiece; Virginia Quay Settlers Monument; Who’s Who (online).

Terry Cavanagh November 2022