Person    | Male  Born 22/2/1882  Died 17/11/1940

Eric Gill

Categories: Art, Craft / Design, Sculpture

Sculptor. Born Brighton. One of thirteen children of a clergyman, he remained religious all his life. Passionate believer in the "carving direct" method. His sculptures would sometimes depict controversial passions and his own transgressive sexual passions extended to a long incestuous relationship with his sister. Had strong views on what people should wear. Women, being inferior should cover up. Wrote a book on the effect of trousers on men's bits 'Trousers & The Most Precious Ornament'.

Studied under Johnston and assisted with the creation of the Johnston sans typeface. Then designed his own, the Gill Sans typeface. A 'compare and contrast' is fascinating. In 1914 was invited to design the Great Seal for George V. The design was accepted but never produced because WW1 intervened. More interestingly, at the time no one seems to have spotted that the king's mount was shown in the urination position. A mistake (or piss-take?) repeated by Hardiman in his statue of the mounted Earl Haig in 1937. Gill died Harefield Hospital, Uxbridge.

Other works in London include: relief sculptures on 55 Broadway (3 of the 8 Winds); Prospero and Ariel and others on Broadcasting House; Stations of the cross in Westminster Cathedral; Moorfields; and Doves Bindery and Press plaque (possibly).

2023: For a taste of the on-going controversy that surrounds Gill see the Daily Mail outrage regarding the BBC repairing the vandalised Prospero and Ariel.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Eric Gill

Creations i

British Museum War Memorial

Designed and carved by Eric Gill.

Read More

Edward VII Galleries, British Museum

So, all the sevens then. Eric Gill designed and carved this memorial.

Read More

People's Palace

The plaque names only 6 relief panels but there are 7, music being represente...

Read More

W. H. Hudson Memorial

The sculpture represents Rima, the nature-spirit heroine of Hudson's book "Gr...

Read More

Other Subjects

Farhad Miah

Farhad Miah

Student. Participant in the creation of the Will Crooks mural.

Person, Art

1 memorial
Stephen Bird

Stephen Bird

Artist/designer/craft-person.  Born Stoke-on-Trent.  Initially we could find no information about "S. Bird" but Andrew Behan was more successful so we have him to thank for this page.

Person, Art, Craft / Design

3 memorials
Lucien Pissarro

Lucien Pissarro

Painter, printmaker and wood engraver. Born in Paris, the eldest child of Camille Pissarro. He visited England on several occasions, becoming a British citizen in 1916. A founder member of the Camd...

Person, Art, France

2 memorials
Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE, FBA

Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich, OM, CBE, FBA

Art historian. Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich was born in Vienna, which was then part of Austria-Hungary. He fled to Britain, after his first book 'A Little History of the World' was banned by the Nazi ...

Person, Art, History, Austria

1 memorial
Valentine Cameron Prinsep

Valentine Cameron Prinsep

Born Calcutta, India. Artist and writer. His father was a civil servant in India and the family moved to England on his retirement. A minor figure in the Pre-Raphaelites, although he exhibited regu...

Person, Art, Literature, India

1 memorial