John Skeaping

Born in 1901 in Essex, John Skeaping trained at the Blackheath School of Art, Goldsmiths College, the Central School of Art and Crafts and the Royal Academy Schools. In 1922 he first exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. While in Italy in 1925, Skeaping married the artist Barbara Hepworth. Skeaping is best known for his animal subjects that combined his wonderful draftsmanship with the aesthetic of the Modern Movement.

Briefly married to Barbara Hepworth, and friendly with the young Henry Moore, Skeaping is credited with putting the first hole in a sculpture. However, he turned his back on modernism, returning to a more figurative modelling style and the equine and canine subjects that he loved.
In 1964 he became ‘Professor of Sculpture’ at the Royal College of Art and published several books on artistic matters. Skeaping sculpted both animals and figures using a variety of materials, including bronze. He was also an accomplished painter.

His works have been exhibited widely and a large retrospective exhibition of his work was held in London in 1979. During the latter part of his life he lived in the Carmargue, France.