David Wynne (sculptor)

David Wynne’s artistic path was unconventional; he abandoned studies in natural sciences at Cambridge to pursue sculpture, a craft he largely taught himself. His work, characterized by a lyrical and dynamic naturalism, found favor with a public weary of abstract modernism. He moved easily between monumental public commissions, like the towering ‘Boy with a Dolphin’ on London’s Chelsea Embankment, and sensitive portraits of cultural figures, including the Beatles and the Queen Mother. Wynne’s deep fascination with the natural world, particularly the anatomy and motion of animals and dancers, became his lifelong subject. He worked directly from life, believing that sculpture should express joy, a quality that radiates from his most famous pieces installed in cities and collections worldwide.