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Statue in Nechells?

pmc1947 said:
bluebrummie

I note we can no longer open Kandor's photo of the statue in question, well I can't anyway. So here is a photo, so that you can refresh your memory.

Phil
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That's the one Phil cheers! I remember now, I always thought it looked a bit similar, don't know why?! lol
 
Like you Amanda, a group from Loxton St. School, including myself, where also taken along for the un-veiling. Although I only lived a stones throw away in Queens Tower, For the life of me, I cant remember what the statue was called, or who sculpted it. Barry.
 
Dear all, the sculpture at Nechells Green, was designed by John Bridgeman ARCA, FRBS, FRBSA. He was commissioned to design and supervise the making of the sculpture in a commission dated 13thApril 1959. The letter of engagement States that the sculpture was at 'Nechells Green - Unit No. 11.'. The letter of engagement from the Birmingham City Architect's Department, goes on to state that other sculptures at Hawkesley Moat, Kent's Moat, Lyndhurst and the Firs were to be designed and made by Bridgeman. Only one of Bridgeman's sculptures for children from the late 1950s and early 1960s at Curtis Gardens, Acocks Green, Birmingham appears to have survived. A model for one of these sculptures is now held by the Henry Moore Institute. Any photographs of the lost sculptures such as that at Nechells green would be greatly appreciated.
 
Phil said:
Leamington

I don't know where you are based, but if you want to photograph the sculpture "Youth" it is still in situ at the bottom of Melvina Rd Nechells as far as I am aware. It still shows up on Google Earth at least.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4...m4!1e1!3m2!1stmPRBYP_vAgcwDH9Hf6zWg!2e0?hl=en
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I am not sure if this one is a Bridgeman. I am his son-in-law and am familiar with his work and my wife thinks it may be by his associate Brian Bloomer. I do not know the area as we are in Leamington is this still part of Nechells Green? John Bridgeman's sculpture was made for children to play and this looks less like that...
 
Leamington said:
I am not sure if this one is a Bridgeman. I am his son-in-law and am familiar with his work and my wife thinks it may be by his associate Brian Bloomer. I do not know the area as we are in Leamington is this still part of Nechells Green? John Bridgeman's sculpture was made for children to play and this looks less like that...
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Leamington ,

It could be described as Nechells Green, Nechells, or even Duddeston or Saltley. I never know what is where since they started messing around with the districts in the 60's when this statue was located when it was sited it was the junction of Great Francis St and Saltley Rd. Anyway I don't think there is anywhere that is officially named Nechells Green any longer, the location of the statue is located with a red "X" on the map.
 

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Thanks Phil,
it is always more difficult to work these things out than it seems at first. I will check the thread that says that the Birmingham Mail photographed children playing on the sculpture...the exhibition we put on in Leamington Spa museum and gallery in 2013 had photos of some of these sculptures and you all may be able to spot them... See the pump rooms website https://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/royalpumprooms/info/18/shop for ref. Some of them will come up that have been uploaded on the web if you research john Bridgeman sculpture...
michael (Leamington).
 
Leamington

This is one of the photos that Kandor posted back in 2008, as you can see there are obvious signs of vandalism & repair (well it looks that way to me). Not that I agree with vandalism but as I said back then I was never a fan of this type of art and to be honest I never met anybody in the area that understood it. To be honest again we couldn't understand why it had been sited in Nechells.
 

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Thanks for this great photograph. My wife and I are more and more convinced this is not a john Bridgeman. Can't comment on whether it is any good or not, but it is typical of the time and shows the effect of Henry Moore on most sculpture in Britain after the war...until he became unfashionable ... And then became fashionable again!
 
Michael,

Not really much information there is there, no photo and no location. I would imagine £370 the amount paid out in 1958 was quite a lot, roughly the equivalent of £8000 today, but in no way matches some of the rubbish that is shelled out for today, especially the affront to Birmingham outside the new Library.
 
Phil said:
Leamington

This is one of the photos that Kandor posted back in 2008, as you can see there are obvious signs of vandalism & repair (well it looks that way to me). Not that I agree with vandalism but as I said back then I was never a fan of this type of art and to be honest I never met anybody in the area that understood it. To be honest again we couldn't understand why it had been sited in Nechells.
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phil i was there when it was delivered. me and my mate peter bra***** that was a long time past
 
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I don't think the actual name of this statue was ever mentioned in any of these posts. It was called "Youth" and it represented a young girl with a pony tail. It was sculpted in concrete by sculptor Harry Seager and was placed in situ at the bottom of Melina Road in 1958. Harry Seager was born in Birmingham in 1931 and attended Moseley Road College of Art from 1951 to 1955, so it's quite possible some of our posters who attended the same college knew him.

Nechells Melvina Rd Youth.JPG
 
Certainly not my cup of tea, Phil, and if cast in concrete with no steel reinforcing, it would certainly fall victim to vandals quite easily.

Maurice
 
It seems to me that so much modern art is only understood by those who created it. Now that is fine by me, if it is placed in a private area or garden. Where it is to be seen by all and sundry makes little sense as far as I can see, in fact for a great many people it is quite hard on the eye - just as are many modern buildings.
Late 20th. and present 21st. century sculptures and statues can have a fine, recognisable form consequently enabling most people to appreciate and like them.
 
sospiri said:
Certainly not my cup of tea, Phil, and if cast in concrete with no steel reinforcing, it would certainly fall victim to vandals quite easily.

Maurice
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Maurice

I would definitely think there is some reinforcing within the statue, because if you look at the photos closely you will see what appears to be quite nasty cracks in it's structure, but could just as easily be pour marks indicating that an interval took place in between additions of concrete to what I can only assume was a mould. Never a good idea when working with concrete, but there again you wouldn't expect a sculptor to know that.
 
Phil said:
Maurice

I would definitely think there is some reinforcing within the statue, because if you look at the photos closely you will see what appears to be quite nasty cracks in it's structure, but could just as easily be pour marks indicating that an interval took place in between additions of concrete to what I can only assume was a mould. Never a good idea when working with concrete, but there again you wouldn't expect a sculptor to know that.
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yer if it was going to break. it would have done so by now,with all the bods that have climbed on it,including me
 
Alan,

You've hit the nail on the head - mainly of interest to sculptors of a like mind. I used to be a jazz pianist, as is mentioned elsewhere on BHF, and we had various guest artists once a month in the club where I was in the house band. If we had a well-known musician or band, the place would be packed, but not so with a real avant garde modernist such as tenor sax player Alan Skidmore, who always used our house band. But it was a challenge and of interest to us musicians to accompany him in what was basically a tuneless series of improvisations on unknown themes largely out of his head. To 90% of the audience it seemed to be much more of a challenge than sitting drinking their beer & chatting and it went right over their heads. That's most modern art to me! :)

Maurice
 
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