BiographyHenry Bird was born on 15 July 1909 in Northampton. He first attended Northampton School of Art before going on to study at the Royal College of Art, where he won 'the Painting and Portrait Prizes, the Continuation Scholarship and the Royal College's highest award, the Travelling Scholarship.' (The Independent).
Initially, he became head scene painter at the Old Vic and at Sadler's Wells. He then was a lecturer in art history and drawing tutor, 1935-1941, at the University College of Wales. After a period as resident designer at the Embassy Theatre in 1950, he then taught at Northampton School of Art. Among his students were the sculptor Malcolm Pollard and the architect Will Alsop. He was noted for his method of teaching drawing. His obituary in the Times observed that "he demanded high standards of his pupils, requiring them to study, for months, a brick, a milk bottle and an egg. In their first class with him, students innocently surrendered their pencil rubber, which he then instantly ejected through a window on to the car park beneath." According to his obituary in The Stage, "He was also something of a genuine eccentric, cutting an imposing figure with his flamboyant dress sense and usually seen around art colleges and galleries sporting a large fedora hat." He was married to the actress Freda Jackson to whom he was devoted and committed. They had one son, Julian, a psychiatrist. According to his obituary in the Times, "His first sight of her was her face, suspended halfway up the stage curtain, painted green as a witch in a production of Macbeth at the Royal Theatre, Northampton. With typical decisiveness he said: "That's the woman for me.' (The Times) In 1983, he was awarded a Civil List pension for services to the arts. He died on 16 April 2000. |
Collections• The Julian Bird & Averil Leimon Bird Collection
• The Katherine & Lis Ingerslev Bird Collection • Northampton Museums and Art Gallery • Aberystwyth University, School of Art Gallery and Museum Other work is in permanent collections in the National Library of Wales, and in Carlisle, Brighton and Northampton galleries. |
Commissions• 'The Muses Contemplating Northampton', Guildhall, Northampton, 1949
• Theatre Curtain for Royal Theatre, Northampton, 1978 • Murals for St. Andrew's Church, Kettering, St Margaret's Church, Denton (1975–76), All Saints' Church, Earls Barton (1934, Rood Screen decoration), St Crispins Hospital Chapel, Northampton and Danetree Hospital Chapel & dining room, Daventry. • Theatre Curtain for Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, 1982 And many more... |