Tom Taylor (sculptor)

Tom Taylor was born in Christchurch and matriculated from St. Kevin's College, Oamaru in 1939. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy and served overseas from 1943 to 1945. Taylor studied architecture at Canterbury University College for two years before taking up sculpture.[1] In 1961 he became a full-time lecturer and eventually Head of Sculpture at the University of Canterbury's School of Fine Arts where he taught until 1990.

A number of students who became well-known sculptors passed through the department under Taylor's tutelage. They include Chris Booth, Paul Cullen, Bing Dawe, Neil Dawson, John Panting, Phil Price, Pauline Rhodes, Carl Sydow, Merylyn Tweedie and Boyd Webb.[2] Neil Dawson recalled Taylor as "… a very complex individual, a fiercely intelligent man who introduced us to a world beyond art and sculpture and brought a new scope to our practice. He was tough but he made you confront yourself. He set challenges which would last for the rest of your life - and you can't ask for more than that from your teacher."[3] Taylor was also closely connected to the Christchurch art scene. He exhibited with The Group in 1963, 1965 and 1966[4] and in 1968 helped colleague John Coley set up 20-20 Vision, an artist collective that produced a number of exhibitions and prints.[5] The same year Taylor was awarded a Guthrey Travel Grant to Australia where he was influenced by the work of Australian sculptor Clement Meadmore.[6] In 1969 Taylor was granted a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Travel Grant to visit Verona and Munich and study bronze and steel sculpture techniques with the Italian artist Quinto Ghermandi and the German Ruldolf Hoffenher.[7] Taylor was also involved in designing sets for a number of Christchurch theatre productions.[8]

Although he only trained for two years, Taylor designed a number of houses including the Sutton House, which has been listed as a Category I Heritage Building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.[9] The Sutton House was built in 1963 at 20 Templar Street, Christchurch as a home and studio for painter Bill Sutton.[10] Sutton and Taylor both taught at the art school and were friends. (Taylor is the model in one of Sutton's well known paintings Saint Sebastian that featured in the Sutton retrospective as catalogue number 19)[11] The house was slated for demolition after the 2010 Christchurch earthquake but was saved by a public campaign and is now an artist's residency run by the Christchurch Art Gallery.[12] Taylor also designed a house for well-known children's writer Margaret Mahy[13] and a studio for another colleague, the painter Doris Lusk.[14] Other houses designed by Taylor can be found at 6 Sherwood Lane, Cashmere and 2202 West Coast Road, Christchurch.

• 1960: Canterbury Brevet Club[15]
• 1970: IBM Building on The Terrace, Wellington[16]
• 1973: Fountain for the entrance of the Commonwealth Games Complex at Queen Elizabeth II Park, Christchurch[17]

• Works at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū