Raymond Boultwood Ewers (20 August 1917 – 5 June 1998) was an Australian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

,Australian War Memorial: https://www.awm.gov.au/people/artist_profiles/ewers.asp best known for his sculpture ''Australian Serviceman'' in the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

sculpture garden in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

.Australian War Memorial:
Collection Record, ID ART40995
'. Retrieved 2008-04-25. Ewers was born in

Wyalong Wyalong is part of the Bland Shire located in the Northern Riverina Region of New South Wales, Australia. Established as a gold mining town, it is now a quiet town with historic buildings a few kilometres east of West Wyalong, the major distric ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. He worked as a jackaroo before he entered the Working Men's College in Melbourne (nowadays the

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

), where he studied from 1936 to 1940.

William Leslie Bowles William Leslie Bowles (26 February 1885 at Leichhardt, Sydney, Australia – 21 February 1954 at Frankston, Victoria) was an Australian sculptor and medallist. Education He started at Kangaroo Point State School, Brisbane. After studyi ...

chose him as his assistant. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Ewers enlisted as a

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

in the Australian Imperial Force in 1941. Upon recommendation by Bowles, he was transferred and made an official war artist with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. From 1943 until 1958, Ewers produced 32

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

s depicting war scenes. He also worked together with Bowles on the statues of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and of

John Monash General Sir John Monash, (; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became co ...

, and produced until the 1960s 22 statues of his own design for the War Memorial. His ''Australian Serviceman'' was originally placed in the Hall of Memory, where it was displayed from 1958 until 1993, when it was moved to the sculpture garden. Ewers was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the

1995 Australia Day Honours The 1995 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1995 by the Governor General of Australia, Bill Hayden. The Australia D ...

for his "service to the arts, particularly as a sculptor".

References

External links

Modern sculptors RMIT University alumni 1917 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Australian sculptors Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia {{Oceania-sculptor-stub