Neil Lawson Baker
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Neil Lawson Baker (1938 - 2022) was a British artist, sculptor and photographer.


Early life

Neil Lawson Baker was born in
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
and had two brothers, John Stewart and Colin James.Barons 500: 2000. Leaders for the new century He attended Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
.


Career

Lawson Baker went to
Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where he qualified as a dental surgeon and went on to study medicine, qualifying in 1969 at
St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...
at
Hyde Park Corner Hyde Park Corner is between Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Mayfair in London, England. It primarily refers to its major road junction at the southeastern corner of Hyde Park, that was designed by Decimus Burton. Six streets converge at the junc ...
in London's West End (the building is now the
Lanesborough Hotel The Lanesborough is a 5-star hotel on Hyde Park Corner in Knightsbridge, central London, England. The hotel is operated by the Oetker Collection. It is in neoclassical style and is listed Grade II*. Opposite are Hyde Park and Apsley House, th ...
). Lawson Baker then went on to practise at the 31 Wilton Place Practice where he became senior partner, continuing as a leading Dental Surgeon for a further 40 years, specialising in high quality restorative dentistry. He also founded The Oral Hygiene Centre at No 1 Devonshire Place in London's
Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.< ...
area in 1978, believed to be the first truly preventive dental practice of its type, helping to pioneer preventive dentistry.


Career change

He retired from dentistry at the age of 70 - calling it "a career change" – into the art world. He painted and drew, but is best known for his sculpture.


Artistic career

While practising dentistry, he developed his passion for art, travelling, visiting galleries and acquiring contemporary art for his home in London. He formed a great interest, initially in the sculpture of
Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
and his school of followers, later moving to more contemporary schools. He visited the
Galerie Maeght The Galerie Maeght is a gallery of modern art in Paris, France, and Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The gallery was founded in 1936 in Cannes. The Paris gallery was started in 1946 by Aimé Maeght. The artists exhibited are mainly from France and Spa ...
in Rue du Bac in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and later the
Fondation Maeght The Maeght Foundation or Fondation Maeght () is a museum of modern art on the ''Colline des Gardettes'', a hill overlooking Saint-Paul de Vence in the southeast of France about from Nice. It was established by Marguerite and Aimé Maeght in 19 ...
in
Saint-Paul de Vence Saint-Paul-de-Vence (, literally ''Saint-Paul of Vence''; oc, Sant Pau de Vença; it, San Paolo di Venza) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. One of the oldest medieva ...
to see works by
Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
, Miró, Léger, Calder, Arp and they had a big influence on him. In 1987, Baker began to model sculptures as recuperative therapy. His surgeon's eye–hand skills were helped by a lesson from
Kees Verkade Korstiaan "Kees" Verkade (12 October 1941 – 29 December 2020) was a Dutch artist and sculptor. He specialized in modeling the human form, with an emphasis on movement and emotion. Most of his sculptures are set in bronze. They depict a variety o ...
, who showed Baker how to model in wax. Baker met Eric Gibbard at the Burleighfield Foundry who had worked for the
Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
,
Elisabeth Frink Dame Elisabeth Jean Frink (14 November 1930 – 18 April 1993) was an English sculptor and printmaker. Her ''Times'' obituary noted the three essential themes in her work as "the nature of Man; the 'horseness' of horses; and the divine in ...
, Philip Jackson, and
Oscar Nemon Oscar Nemon (born Oscar Neumann; 13 March 1906 – 13 April 1985) was a Croatian sculptor who was born in Osijek, Croatia, but eventually settled in England. He is best known for his series of more than a dozen public statues of Winston Churchill, ...
as well as casting every
Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadi ...
bronze after 1952 (initially at Morris Singer and later at Burghleighfield). Eric became Baker's friend and mentor and took him to Paris to meet Charles Pinellis at the famous Susse-Fondeur foundry in
Arcueil Arcueil () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as ''Arcoloï'', and later in the 12th c ...
. Baker soon produced many bronze sculptures in the UK and France and was selling to private collectors, corporate clients and governments. His works can be found in public places both in the UK and abroad. Lawson Baker sculptures may be seen in the entrance to the offices of the
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
at
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
; at
British Gas British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Serving ...
Headquarters in
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
; in The
London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange The London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE, pronounced 'life') was a futures exchange based in London. In 2014, following a series of takeovers, LIFFE became part of Intercontinental Exchange, and was renamed ICE F ...
; near Albert Bridge at Sterling House on the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
and at the National Stadium in
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
. Baker also created the sculpture unveiled by Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
with
President Mitterrand President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
at the opening of the
Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
in May 1994. Late in 2003 Baker began to use colour and work on two dimensional pieces for the first time. His contemporary works of art are mostly abstract and vibrant and he is prolific in his output. Baker uses
Conté Conté (), also known as Conté sticks or Conté crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a clay base, square in cross-section. They were invented in 1795 by Nicolas-Jacques Conté, who create ...
,
watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
and
acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
interchangeably. Since 2007, Baker started exploring the world of high resolution photography as a fine art form producing a distinct style of work notably of Venice, Buenos Aires and London. In 2006, Baker was appointed to the board of the
Arts Club The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either ...
in London and in 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Trustees of the Chichester Art Trust, which managed and staged the National Open Art Competition and its exhibitions both in Chichester and London. Baker worked as a professional sculptor from 2017. In early 2018 he stepped down as chairman of the Chichester Art Trust and National Open Art.


Exhibitions

*"Renaissance Man" The Oxmarket Gallery,
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
,
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
. 2010. A 20-year retrospective. *"The Role of Photography in Contemporary Interior Design" presentation by Jane Arte Watt (BIDA, JAG Contemporary Design) at Franco's,
Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers. Hist ...
, London. *"The Russian Reception" photographic display in Canning House,
Belgrave Square Belgrave Square is a large 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for t ...
, London. March 2008. *"New Dimension: Fashion and Landmarks" – one month photography exhibition at The Burlington Club, London. February 2008. *"DepARTure" –
The Arts Club The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either ...
, London: paintings, sculptures and photography. November 2007.


Other roles

Baker chaired The National Open Art Competition (NOA) from 2006 - 2018 run by the Chichester Art Trust. In 2013, he worked with the co-operation of Street Art London to organise the
Chichester Street Art Festival Chichester Street Art Festival took place in Chichester, West Sussex, England in May 2013. Street artists decorated a large number of locations throughout the city with street art. The festival was jointly organised by Street Art London and Neil ...
which he also funded. He brought 27 well-known national and international street artists to Chichester to paint walls of businesses who chose to participate. Among those who painted were: Stik;
Nunca Francisco Rodrigues da Silva also known as "Nunca" is a Brazilian artist who uses a graffiti technique to create images that confront modern urban Brazil with its native past. His name Nunca ("Never" in Portuguese) is an affirmation of his determ ...
- from Sao Paulo, who had previously painted the side of
Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...
;
Thierry Noir Thierry Noir (born 1958) is a French artist and muralist based in Berlin. He is considered the first artist to paint the Berlin Wall in the 1980s. He created brightly-colored paintings across large spans of the Berlin Wall and some of these ori ...
of Berlin Wall fame; Hitnes, from Italy; Christiaan Nagel from South Africa; The Rolling People; Run; Liqen from Spain; Dscreet and ROA. In 2018, he started the not-for-profit educational Bowdleflodes Project, whose mission is to help educate children across the world about the plight of endangered species using ART as the facilitating medium. The project houses an online 'fantasy' zoo with children's creative drawings, with each submission being linked to supporting endangered species, either in zoos or in wildlife support programmes.


Personal life

Neil Lawson Baker was married to Grace Lawson Baker, a psychotherapist and speech-and-language therapist. His studios are at their home near Chichester in West Sussex. His hobbies over the years have included competing in vintage and classic car events and rallies, riding in one and three day equestrian events, pursuing his personal artistic interests, particularly as a sculptor, and travelling. In his last years he spent considerable time visiting schools, promoting the Bowdleflodes Project, reading his stories and helping children produce creative fantasy endangered species drawings and descriptions for the Bowdleflode online Wildlife Safari Park.


References


External links


The Arts Club websiteLes Galeries Maeght websiteFondation Maeght website
* Aimé Maeght French Wikipedia entry
Morris Singer Art Founders websiteFonderie d'art Susse-Fondeur websiteNational Portrait Gallery websiteNeil Lawson Baker Official websiteThe Bowdleflodes Project website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson Baker, Neil 1938 births Living people People from Watford 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters English sculptors English male sculptors 20th-century British sculptors 21st-century sculptors English dentists Photographers from Hertfordshire 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists