Laurence Broderick (18 June 1935 – 18 April 2024) was a British sculptor. His best known work is 'The Bull', a

public sculpture Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically access ...

erected in 2003 at the Bull Ring, Birmingham. ''The Bull'' is about 4.5 meters long, about 220 cm high and weighs about 6.5 tons. It is one of the largest bronze animal sculptures in the country. His work consists largely of figurative carvings in stone and editions in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

Early life

Broderick was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, in the west of England, on 18 June 1935, and attended

Bembridge School Bembridge School was a British independent school in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and seco ...

on the Isle of Wight. He studied painting,

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

and sculpture under Ray Millard and Geoffrey Deeley at the Regent Street Polytechnic from 1952 to 1957, and with Sidney Harpley and

Keith Godwin Keith Godwin (17 April 1916 – 1991) was an English sculptor. Early life and education Keith Godwin was born in Warsop, Nottinghamshire in 1916, the son of a Nottinghamshire coal-miner. He attended Mansfield School of Art and, between 1935 ...

at the

Hammersmith School of Art West London College, legally known as the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College is a large further and higher education college in West London, England, formed in 2002 by the merger between Ealing Tertiary College and Hammersmith and West ...

from 1964 to 1965.

Career

Broderick began his artistic career as an historical and educational illustrator and painter. He taught Art at the Haberdashers' Aske's School in

Cricklewood Cricklewood is an area of London, England, which spans the boundaries of three London boroughs: Barnet to the east, Brent to the west and Camden to the south-east. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north- ...

from 1959 and

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...

from 1961, and was Director of Art there from 1965 to 1981. He continued working as a freelance artist and sculptor throughout this period and became a full-time sculptor in 1981. Predominantly a stone carver, working with many types of stone including:

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

, Alabaster, Soapstone, Hopton Wood and Ancaster Limestone, he also modelled in

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

, plasticine,

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

and

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...

for casting in

. In 1983, he competed as part of the British snow sculpture team during The

Quebec Winter Carnival The Quebec Winter Carnival (french: Carnaval de Québec), commonly known in both English and French as Carnaval, is a pre-Lenten festival held in Quebec City. After being held intermittently since 1894, the ''Carnaval de Québec'' has been celeb ...

. The team gained second place. Broderick was a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and a fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. In 1978, Broderick visited the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

with his young family where he saw his first wild

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

. It was just off the Island of

Ornsay Ornsay is a small tidal island to the east of the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Description The island provides good shelter to a natural harbour which is overlooked by the village of Isleornsay. The " ...

, once owned by

Gavin Maxwell Gavin Maxwell FRSL FZS FRGS (15 July 19147 September 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1960) about how he brought an otter ba ...

, the Scottish naturalist and author best known for his work with otters. Skye became Broderick's second home and he held annual sculpture exhibitions on the island for 26 years. For many years he divided his time between his studios on Skye and

Waresley Waresley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth, in Cambridgeshire, England. Waresley lies approximately south of Huntingdon and south-east of the town of St Neots. Waresley is situated within Hunting ...

near

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, England. Broderick was joint president of the International Otter Survival Fund, a charity dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters in the UK and around the world.

Death

Broderick died on 18 April 2024, at the age of 88.

Commissions and collections

Otter sculpture 'Maxwell' at headqueters of ADC Engineering Aberdeen by Sculptor Laurence Broderick

Leaping salmon at Chester Business Park - Sculpture by Laurence Broderick

June Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair Collection Haddo Arts Trust by Laurence Broderick

Lord Philimore bronze portrait bust by Laurence Broderick

Indian Elephant Calf Collection Royal Caribbean International by Laurence Broderick

Otter Sculpture unveiling by HRH Princess Anne Loch at Lomond by sculptor Laurence Broderick

Madonna of the Magnificat Dunstable Priory Laurence Broderick

Lord McDonald bronze portrait bust by Laurence Broderick

Roger Federer and Serena Williams Annual International Tennis Federation World Champion Trophies by sculptor Laurence Broderick

* The Bull, Birmingham *Leaping Salmon,

Chester Business Park Chester Business Park is located to the south of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England and is sited to the east of Wrexham Road (A483) and to the north of the Chester southerly bypass ( A55). The park opened in 1988 and occupies an area of . At ...

*Annual World Champion Trophies, International Tennis Federation * Goddess Athena and the Owl, Royal Caribbean International *Family of Otters, E.ON UK plc,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

*Turtle,

Prudential plc Prudential plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It was founded in London in May 1848 to provide loans to professional and working people. Prudential has dual primary list ...

Art Collection, London *Mother and Child, Diageo plc, Perth. * Indian Elephant Calf, Royal Caribbean International *Teko, Kyleakin,

*Madonna and Child, All Saints, Weston-super-Mare *Tortoise, Turtle & Mayan Figures, Vision of the Seas *Crucifix, The Priory, Christchurch *Madonna of the Magnificat, The Priory, Dunstable *St Mark and the Lion, St Mark's, Mansfield *

Sir Roy Calne Sir Roy Yorke Calne, FRCP, FRCS, FRS (born 30 December 1930) is a British surgeon and pioneer in organ transplantation. Career His most notable achievements are the world's first liver, heart, and lung transplant together with John Wallwork ...

, Addenbrookes Hospital,

* June Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair, Haddo Arts Trust *

Philippe Chatrier Philippe Chatrier (; 2 February 1928 – 22 June 2000) was a French tennis player. After his playing career ended, he became a journalist, and was then involved in sports administration. He was president of the French Tennis Federation for 20 ye ...

, International Tennis Federation, Stade Roland Garros, Paris *Maxwell Otter, ADC Ltd,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. *Teko, Balloch,

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

. *Elephant Calf, Java Hill Resort,

Crozet, Ain Crozet () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Crozet is nestled at the foot of the Jura mountains in eastern France some from the centre of the Swiss city of Geneva and approximately from the French city of Lyon. It is als ...

, France.

Exhibitions

Group shows with the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

, Contemporary Portrait Society, Society of Wildlife Artists and the

Royal West of England Academy The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) is Bristol's oldest art gallery, located in Clifton, Bristol, near the junction of Queens Road and Whiteladies Road. Situated in a Grade 2* listed building, it hosts five galleries and an exhibition program ...

. Exhibitions in Scotland, England, Jersey, France, Monaco, Germany, USA and Canada.

Published works

Works containing Broderick's illustrations

* * * * * *

References

External links

Tributes pour in after death of Waresley sculptor Laurence Broderick

Cambridgeshire artist who designed Birmingham's Bullring bull dies

Laurence Broderick, 88: ‘Otter man of Skye’ and Birmingham bull sculptor
at

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

Laurence Broderick obituary
at

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

The Birmingham Bullring Bull: 22 fun costumes styled by the Brummie icon through the years

Tributes pour in for the creator of Birmingham’s iconic Bullring bull
at

Birmingham's Bullring Bull declared one of the world's top public works of art
at Birmingham Mail
The Bull of the Bullring - an amazing fashion icon through the years
at Birmingham Mail
The story behind the Bull sculpture at the Bullring shopping centre
at Birmingham Mail
Tributes to creator of Birmingham's Bullring bull
at

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

Sculptor who gave Birmingham its Bullring bull dies at 88
at Birmingham Mail
Installation of The Bull
at

Birmingham Bullring The Bull Ring is a major shopping area in central Birmingham England, and has been an important feature of Birmingham since the Middle Ages, when its market was first held. Two shopping centres have been built in the area; in the 1960s, and the ...

The International Otter Survival Fund

at

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

YouTube Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broderick, Laurence 1935 births 2024 deaths 20th-century British sculptors 21st-century sculptors English male sculptors People educated at Bembridge School Artists from Bristol People from the Isle of Skye