Frome auction house Dore & Rees will shine a spotlight on the work of celebrated local sculptor Michael Mason (1935–2023) this autumn, as 65 of his pieces go under the hammer in their Autumn Interiors sale on Tuesday 15 October.
Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, Mason studied sculpture and ceramics at Manchester College of Art and Design. He then went on to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, a Fellow of Sculpture at the British School in Rome, and Principal Lecturer in Sculpture at Manchester Metropolitan University (1982-1996). He and his wife Barbara, who is also an artist, moved to Somerset 25 years ago.
It was during his time at Manchester Metropolitan University in 1989 that he and a colleague were commissioned to create a replacement 7ft high statue of a classical figure to sit on the top of the Hackney Empire. The original version had been damaged and lost. They made two, in case one broke in the kiln. She is still up there today and is one of Mason’s most iconic architectural commissions.
Mason is well-known in the art world; his work has been reviewed extensively in publications such as the Arts Review and Art International and his pieces are in many private and public collections around the world, including the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The collection at Dore & Rees contains a mixture of abstract works of sculpture inspired by nature and prehistoric art, along with many pieces of exquisite, tactile pottery.
Mason was inspired by landscapes home and afar. He held residencies in Croatia and Venezuela and explained that he took inspiration from ‘mysterious places, exotic cultures, history, physics, strange animals, myths and legends’.
He was continually driven to create what he considered to be ‘the perfect work’. In the months prior to his passing, when he was in his late eighties, he doodled intensely in hospital and requested clay. The drawings look a lot like diagrams for sculptures.
“The Michael Mason Collection will be offered within our 15th October Autumn Interiors Auction,” said Sally Perry from Dore & Rees. “The sale presents a unique opportunity to acquire an original work by an acclaimed sculptor with a prestigious record. Don’t miss it!”
For full catalogue and information on how to bid, visit www.doreandrees.com
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