F. E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio
A gallery, studio-workshop and sculpture garden capturing the energy of surrealist sculptor F. E. McWilliam (1902-1992).
Similar studio museums...
- Ensor House, Belgium - the esoteric former home of the Surrealist and Expressionist painter James Ensor (1860-1949)
- Musée Rodin Meuden - La Villa des Brillants, France - the country studio-home of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
Feature List
- Guided Tours
- Restaurant
- Workshops
Born in Banbridge, County Down, Frederick Edward McWilliam originally studied painting at Belfast School of Fine Art, before moving to London, where he established a reputation as one of the most significant sculptors of his generation. His witty, capricious sculptures draw on the work of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), and McWilliam's friend Henry Moore (1898-1986), and were frequently created in series. McWilliam worked across a large variety of media, including terracotta, stone, wood and bronze. Upon his death, McWilliam bequeathed his estate to the Council, who opened a dedicated gallery in 2008.
Today, the FE McWilliam Gallery showcases the permanent collection in specially designed glass cases, and hosts a lively temporary exhibition programme. McWilliam's studio-workshop has been meticulously recreated and houses many of his preparatory maquettes, while the sculpture garden – where yew hedges and herbaceous borders surround sculptures set upon granite plinths – seeks to recapture the spirit of his original London studio.
