Jonathan Wylder

Works
Overview

Jonathan Wylder was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire in 1957. He held his first one man show of paintings in Salisbury City Library in 1973 where Sir Cecil Beaton was his first patron but didn’t begin to sculpt until he was in his thirties. His sculpture has since achieved increasing critical and artistic acclaim and recognition both nationally and internationally.

Since the beginning, Jonathan Wylder has been inspired by the beauty of the human form, sculpting mainly in clay and then having it cast into bronze through the traditional lost wax process. He is especially inspired by dance and has shown his appreciation for this subject in his sculptural work with dancers from a variety of ballet companies, including Fiona Chadwick, former principal with the Royal Ballet.

Amongst the many prestigious commissions is Jonathan’s creation of a five metre high bronze monument for London’s Belgrave Square, commissioned by the Duke of Westminster as a tribute to the first Marquis of Westminster.  In Scotland there is the life size bronze for the Scotsman Newspaper, unveiled in Edinburgh by Her Majesty the Queen.

Possibly his most moving creation is the life sized memorial portrait of Mother Teresa that was unveiled in Calcutta by the Governor of Calcutta at the Sisters of Mercy Convent, where it has received and continues to receive thousands of visitors.

Recently Jonathan worked with Sharron Davies, who inspired the creation of an eight foot long sculpture of a mermaid. A bronze version of this graces the Royal Yacht Squadron based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. His most recent completed project however is a life size portrait of Yasmin le Bon. The partnership of artist and muse has resulted in the creation of a work of art Jonathan considers to be his best to date.

For the past two years Jonathan has been given the freedom to sculpt as he chooses without the every day financial pressures many artists have. During this time he created pieces that reflected many of the challenges he has felt at various times as an adult, whatever they may be. This cathartic process has resulted in a much more fluid style, leaving behind his more disciplined artwork. His new collection includes many extremely emotive sculptures.