Tom Murphy (artist)

Tom Murphy (born 1949) is an English artist who is best known for his bronze sculptures.

Tom Murphy
Born1949 (age 73–74)
Whiston, Lancashire, England
NationalityEnglish
Known forBronze sculpture
Websiteliverpoolsculptures.com

Murphy is a self-taught artist, starting his artistic career initially as a hobby and moved quickly to an intense period of self-study, mastering a range of techniques in many art disciplines.

Previously he worked in a number of occupations which included; a seaman, salesman, musician and impressionist in a pop group.

Later he graduated as a teacher at Liverpool John Moores University and taught art at the Liverpool Community College.[1] He also worked at a Centre for People with Learning Difficulties. His differing careers and interest in the characteristics of people have both acted as a rich source of inspiration in both his paintings and sculptures.

His early experimenting in painting was finally appreciated when he won first prize in the BBC 'North West Art 88' competition.[1] His big success in sculpture came in 1996 when his 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) sculpture of John Lennon was seen by a representative of major Liverpool Company, Littlewoods. He was commissioned to sculpt two monumental size bronzes of the Moores brothers for Liverpool's premier shopping area Church Street.

His work is all over the city of Liverpool as well as in Chorley, Lancashire, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, Germany and New York City. He has also sold many smaller works around the world.

"Chance Meeting" sculpture of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock at Liverpool Lime Street station

In 2003, he was voted by Radio Merseyside listeners and Liverpool Echo readers as the 76th Greatest Merseysider.[2]

Now his work is known all over the world since creating the iconic statue of John Lennon at Liverpool John Lennon Airport which was unveiled jointly on 15 March 2002, by Cherie Blair and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.[3][4] His sculptures of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock, commissioned by Merseytravel are sited at Liverpool Lime Street railway station.[5] Though best known for his large sculptures, he has always maintained his interest in a wide range of art disciplines and sectors. An accomplished painter, he has been commissioned to paint many key Merseyside figures including the official retirement portrait of Mr John Moores.

In 2015 his bronze sculpture of Trooper Potts VC and Trooper Andrews, of the Berkshire Yeomanry was unveiled by Chris Tarrant and the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. The Grandchildren of both Fred Potts and Arthur Andrews and many other descendants attended the unveiling ceremony along with Mayors and Chairs of Councils from across "Old Berkshire". Sited just outside Forbury Gardens, Reading Tom developed the design to appeal to children, young people and the military historian. Cast by the Morris Singer Foundry it has a high degree of finish and much historical detail, including items lying on the Gallipoli Battlefield.[6]

Notable works
Title or subject Medium Date Location Image
Sir John and Cecil Moores Bronze 1996 Church Street, Liverpool, outside the former Littlewoods store
Diana, Princess of Wales[7] Plaster 1997 Liverpool Women's Hospital
Bill Shankly Bronze 1997 Anfield stadium, Liverpool
Henry Egerton Cotton Bronze 1998 John Moores University, Trueman Street, Liverpool
Sir John Moores Bronze 1998 Avril Robarts Library, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool
Johnnie Walker DSO Bronze 1998 Pier Head, Liverpool
Liverpool Blitz memorial[8] Bronze 2000 Garden of the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Pier Head, Liverpool
Dixie Dean Bronze 2001 Goodison Park, Liverpool
John Lennon Bronze 2002 Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Billy Fury Bronze 2003 Albert Dock, Liverpool
Harold Wilson Bronze 2006[9] Huyton, Merseyside
Noel Chavasse VC & bar[10] Bronze 2008 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, and Trinity College, Oxford
Bessie Braddock Bronze 2009 Liverpool Lime Street station, in a grouping with the statue of Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd Bronze 2009 Liverpool Lime Street station, in a grouping with the statue of Bessie Braddock
Hillsborough disaster memorial[11] Bronze 2013 Old Haymarket, Liverpool
Liverpool Pals Memorial[12] Bronze relief 2014 Liverpool Lime Street station
Fred Potts VC and Arthur Andrews[13] Bronze 2015 The Forbury, Reading, Berkshire

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Murphy.
  1. Jackson, Ian (9 June 2010). "The Vitreum – Tom Murphy: A Retrospective". Art in Liverpool. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  2. Great Merseysiders, BBC, retrieved 11 April 2003
  3. "Lennon Watches Over Airport". BBC News. 15 March 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  4. Collection - Tom Murphy, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, retrieved 5 May 2010
  5. Breathing life into the cold hard clay, Liverpool Daily Post, retrieved 15 July 2008
  6. "Gallipoli hero Fred Potts statue erected in Reading". BBC News. 4 October 2015.
  7. Price, Mike (12 September 2013). "NOSTALGIA: Liverpool Women's Hospital". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. "Memorial - Liverpool Civilian Blitz Victims". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  9. "Blair unveils tribute to Wilson". BBC News. 23 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  10. "Memorials to Captain Noel Chavasse VC and Bar MC". Liverpool Scottish Museum. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  11. "Tom Murphy Sculptor to unveil Hillsborough memorial with public dedication". Click Liverpool. 12 April 2013.
  12. "Watch: Earl of Wessex unveils the Liverpool Pals memorial at Lime Street Station". Liverpool Echo. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  13. "Gallipoli hero Fred Potts statue erected in Reading". BBC News. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
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