Arthur Berridge (British, 1902-1957)

Abstracted figures #1 1950

Charcoal

14.1/2 x 21.1/2 in. (36.8 x 54.7 cm.)

Provenance: David Lay, Penzance

Born in Leicester in 1902, Berridge attended Goldsmith's College in London, where he graduated in 1924. Initially working under his paternal name of Smith, he later considered his mother's name Berridge to be a more suitable artist's surname. Though, mainly a sculptor, awareness of his work grew in 1953 when Berridge was given a one man exhibition at the Beaux Arts Gallery in London. This exhibition gained much attention and was visited and admired by both Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, the latter considering that his work deserved ‘to be represented in the Tate Gallery’. This exhibition was later reshown in Nottingham in 1954 and was followed by a touring exhibition around the Midlands during 1955. Through the 1950s Berridge remained in contact with artists such as Moore, Hepworth and Bernard Leach; including some time during this period at Hepworth’s studio in Cornwall.