Re: Some great men of Birmingham..
My pleasure John. I have been a fan of his for years. I LOVE his Art Deco style stuff in particular, and always marvelled at his Pub works of art in Harborne and beyond...before even knowing he did them...
Here's a potted history for you, and just a few reminders of his genius. Brum owes him a heck of a lot. Wonderful nomination...thanks..
William James Bloye (1890–1975)
Born in Cornwall he came to Birmingham and studied, and later, taught at the
Birmingham School of Art (his training was interrupted by
World War I, when he served in the
Royal Army Medical Corps from 1915 to 1917
In 1925 he became a member of
the Birmingham Civic Society, having, at about that time, a studio at 111, Golden Hillock Road,
Small Heath, Birmingham. As Birmingham's unofficial civic sculptor he worked on virtually all public commissions including libraries, hospitals and the University. He often carved
bas-relief plaques, typically for
public houses in Birmingham. He is also listed as living in Yardley Road at some time, a stone's throw from my house...
During the 1920s, he served on the Technical Committee of the
Birmingham Civic Society.
He became a member of the
Royal British Society of Sculptors: associate (with the honorific suffix) ARBS in 1934, and fellow (FRBS) in 1938. He also won the latter's
Otto Beit Medal. Retiring from the School of Art in 1956 he moved to
Solihull. He died in
Arezzo,
Italy in 1975.
In December 2010, a
blue plaque was unveiled at
City College, on the site of his former studio, which lyn kindly posted.
As of January 2010, Birmingham City Council are working on the restoration Bloye's statue of
Pan at
Aston Hall. The statue's head is missing, and they have appealed for old photographs, to assist in its reconstruction.
This brief account is by no means exhaustive with respect to his output for he
‘was the most prolific sculptor of 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century Birmingham, producing work of a consistent and remarkably high standard.’ (ibid) Hopefully however, it gives a sense of how important Bloye was, and still is, to his adopted city.
The pics are, in order
1. The Celiling at the old school in Moseley
2. The entrance to the Birmingham University Student Guild
3. The three wise men...
4. Josiah Mason in Erdington...more on him later..
5. The Antelope Pub, Sparkbrook...
....and the sixty-four thousand bucks question...What did you do for him John, if I may be so bold? Are you a genius too?