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JEAN GIBSON (1927-1991) was born in Stoke-on-Trent and studied at Burslem and Wimbledon School of Art before attending the Royal College of Art from 1950-54. She was awarded a first-class degree, a travelling scholarship and received the coveted Continuation Scholarship in recognition of her exceptional talent, affording her an additional year at the RCA. A member of the London Group, she exhibited regularly from the 60’s until her death in 1991 (galleries include Nicola Jacobs, Oriel Fine Art, Gillian Jason Gallery, Leicester Art Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts) including a solo show at the Redfern Gallery in 1994 to celebrate her life’s work. She was married to Anthony Whishaw RA who is still actively painting.
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In the 1950s and early 1960s, Jean work was figurative-based sculpture using marble, Portland stone and Cement Fondu. She used an ingenious method of electroplating her cement sculptures in the studio with a fine layer of copper to give the appearance of a bronze finish. In the late 1960s Jean experimented with synthetic materials, predominantly Perspex, fibre glass and resin to produce abstract free-floating forms symbolic of the 20th century and the conquest of space. Clear Perspex (which from a distance is be invisible) enabled her to produce the illusion of floating objects. She was chosen to create the NME (New Musical Express) design awards trophy in 1969 for the best British record design sleeve and was subsequently the subject of a British feature film focusing on art and culture which had international exposure in cinemas in 1970. She was chosen due to her significant contribution to modern sculpture at the time. Following an illness related to her use of these synthetic materials, she had to drastically change her materials and began to work on flat panel reliefs using canvas, wood and metal. This gave her the ability to express moods, emotions and ideas around the forces of nature with varying degrees of intensity to mimic and mirror her state of mind. Her later work has been described by the art critic Mary-Rose Beaumont as ‘organic minimalism’, ‘modernist austerity’ and ‘….the contrast between strength and fragility, purity and sensuousness’. Her work “….erupts and extrudes, energising and activating the surfaces…white spaces on which she would literally impress or express her feelings” A work by Gibson 'Drawing 1’ (1989) entered the Jerwood Collection in 2023. Gibson is represented in the Woman’s Art Collection along with works by leading international artists including Paula Rego, Maggi Hambling, Lubaina Himid and Judy Chicago. The Woman’s Art Collection is a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art by women at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. The largest of its kind in Europe, the Collection is on display across the iconic College, designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon in 1962-64 as a manifesto for the education of women. Gibson is featured in the book ‘Contemporary Woman Artists’ written by Wendy Beckett (1988). Gibson was also an inspirational sculpture teacher. She gave lessons in her studio in Kensington. Her protégés will always include her in any commentary on their trajectory as a sculptor. Each started their experience in clay in her studio between the late 1960s and 1980s. “Jean changed my life. Through her teaching, I learned more than expressing ideas and feelings. She opened my eyes on the world around me, as if I was seeing it for the first time, and so she helped me to discover who I was. Above everything, she taught me always to be true to myself, to be sincere, humble, and at peace.” “I started sculpture classes with Jean when I was twelve years old in 1969. At the first lesson I immediately understood that sculpture had to do with my own personal vision and ability to express it. Jean gave me the confidence as a rather shy teenager to break out and become myself. As a result of her early influence I became a professional sculptor after leaving The Royal College of Art Sculpture School. I have never looked back; sculpture is a world that I love. I count myself as extremely lucky to have known and to have been taught by Jean.” “Jean was an amazingly inspiring teacher who pushed her students to the limits to help discover their potential. Her flamboyant personality had a great influence in keeping her lessons interesting. She encouraged me to take risks and experiment in different materials that reflect on my work today.” |