Ben Dearnley

Ben Dearnley is the official sculptor for the 2012 Olympics. Living and working in Bath, he is influenced by the Great Masters of the past - Rodin, Michelangelo and Canova; all sculptors involved with the figure and its expressive nature, truth and beauty. Ben has produced The Gift especially for the Prince's Trust Evening of Art, created out of an 800kg block of Bath Stone, generously donated by Bath Stone Group.

Ben was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in 1964 and spent much of his life surrounded by music. His late father, Dr Christopher Dearnley, was first organist at Salisbury Cathedral and then organist and Director of Music at St Paul's Cathedral, London, so from an early age Ben was witness to the majesty of music and sculpture of the highest order, both of which have been major underlying influences for him.

Ben's work is focused on the figure: his narrative fuses the traditional techniques of the past with a contemporary approach. He draws the viewer into a personal dialogue with the sculpture by presenting them with a seductive surface of the fragmented figure. The pose of the sculpture reflects an inner truth, which Ben develops within the hidden spaces of the form.

His latest works are pushing his understanding of material and the ability to reach new forms of expression. Ben is now fully engaged in the direct carving of stone, looking at ways of exploring a return to the pure forms of the past with a modern contextualisation, creating a vibrant expression of truth through beauty.

The City of Bath 2012 Olympic Legacy sculpture of Mark Foster has given Ben the opportunity to run an open studio this summer, which has proven most rewarding. His Avenue of Champions series has been created in collaboration with some of the world’s finest Olympic and Paralympic athletes, who have been a huge inspiration for him.

"The strength and determination they show in each of their disciplines has a tremendous effect on me,” he says. “When the work of carving by hand gets too much and it all feels like it is going nowhere, I only have to reflect on their incredible achievements to find the next level of personal strength to keep going."

The Avenue of Champions will be shown in Salisbury Cathedral throughout next summer.

Ben’s work is in public and private collections from as far afield as Australia, South Africa and Europe to the Bahamas, as well as in the Royal Academy of Music, London.
Many of his works can be seen on his website, www.bendearnley.com