John Tweed (21 January 1869 – 12 November 1933) was a Scottish sculptor.

John Tweed
Tweed in The Sketch, 1903
Born(1869-01-21)21 January 1869
Glasgow, Scotland
Died12 November 1933(1933-11-12) (aged 64)
London, England
Burial placeChelsea Old Church
Education
OccupationSculptor
Spouse
Edith Clinton
(m. 1895)
Rifle Brigade War Memorial, London
Blue plaque, 108 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London (his birth year incorrectly given as 1863)

Early life

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John Tweed was born at 16 Great Portland Street, Glasgow and studied at the Glasgow School of Art.[1] He then trained with Hamo Thornycroft in London, and attended the Royal Academy Schools at the same time.[2] Together, they created the frieze on the Institute of Chartered Accountants' building in London.[3] In 1893 he moved to Paris with the hope of studying with Auguste Rodin; this proved impossible as Rodin would only accept pupils who would spend four years under his supervision.[4]

Personal life

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In 1895, he married Edith Clinton, secretary to the National Society for Women's Suffrage, the first national group in the UK to campaign for women's right to vote.[3] Also in 1895, they moved into 108 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, and Tweed lived there until his death in 1933 aged 64.[5] He was buried at Chelsea Old Church.[4]

Legacy

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The first major exhibition of Tweed's work since 1934 ran from March to September 2013 at the Sir John Madejski Art Gallery, Reading Museum, Reading, England.[6] The Victoria and Albert Museum have called him the "British Rodin".[2]

References

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  1. ^ "John Tweed". GLA.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "John Tweed: The 'British Rodin'". V&A. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "John Tweed". RBKC. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b Stocker, Mark. "Tweed, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36597. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ "Portrait of John Tweed". RBKC. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  6. ^ "John Tweed: The Empire Sculptor, Rodin's Friend". Reading Museum. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.