Abstract Sculpture Charles Neville Bertram c1960

Description

Heading : A signed abstract sculpture by Charles Neville Bertram in stained oak with teak base.
Date : c1960
Origin : Liverpool, England
Size :  Height 52cm. Weight 3700g
Condition : Small signs of wear commensurate with age that do not detract

With its impressive ‘monumental’ appearance, this unique carved sculpture combines many inspirations typical of the period, including neolithic monuments, the work of Barbara Hepworth, and modern industrial forms such as power pylons.

Charles Neville Bertram (1908–99) was born into an artistic family. His father was the notable artist and teacher Robert John Scott Bertram (1871-1973), and his older brother was the painter Robert Bryan Bertram. He studied Fine Art at Durham University from 1926–29, gained certificates in drawing and painting from the Board of Education in 1930, and submitted work for the Rome School in 1931. He began teaching in 1932, and also started to pot and sculpt. From 1933–36, he lived in Liverpool and produced public and commercial sculpture with the renowned sculptor Herbert Tyson Smith (1883–1972).

After working for the Air Ministry during WWII, he taught part-time at the Liverpool College of Art from 1945, taking a full-time position there from 1950–73. Over these 23 years, he became a highly influential teacher, with his own work becoming increasingly abstract from c1950. Bertram joined Liverpool Academy in 1946, becoming honorary treasurer and secretary.  In 1950, he was elected an Associate of the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

Examples of his work can be found in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (Quadripartite Form, 1959), and the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Autumn, c1930), as well as prestigious private collections.