Francis Shurrock (30 March 1887 – 28 July 1972) was a British‑born sculptor and art educator who spent the majority of his professional career in New Zealand. He is recognised for his contributions to the development of sculpture in New Zealand and for his long tenure teaching at the School of Fine Arts, Canterbury University College (now the University of Canterbury).
Early life and education
Francis Shurrock was born in Kingston upon Thames, England. He entered the Royal Academy Schools in London in 1905 and completed his studies there in 1909, where he received formal training in drawing, modelling and composition. While at the Royal Academy he exhibited several student works and began to develop a style influenced by classical modelling and the emerging Art Deco aesthetic.
Emigration to New Zealand
In 1913 Shurrock emigrated to New Zealand, initially taking a position as a teacher of drawing and modelling at the Canterbury College School of Art in Christchurch. His arrival coincided with a period of growth in New Zealand’s visual arts institutions, and he quickly became a central figure in the local artistic community.
Career and teaching
From 1915 to 1947 Shurrock served on the faculty of the Canterbury School of Fine Arts, eventually becoming Head of Sculpture. He was noted for introducing rigorous academic standards of modelling and for encouraging the study of anatomy and proportion among his students. Several of his pupils later achieved prominence in New Zealand art, attesting to his influence as an educator.
During the First World War Shurrock served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force; after demobilisation he resumed his teaching duties. He also participated in the activities of the Canterbury Society of Arts and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, holding various committee positions.
Sculptural work
Shurrock produced a range of figurative and commemorative works, many in bronze or plaster. Notable pieces include:
- The Migrant (c. 1931) – a plaster group depicting a pioneer family, exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.
- War Memorial (Canterbury College) – a bronze relief commemorating the college’s fallen from the First World War.
- Statue of Sir George Grey (date uncertain) – a public commission that has been attributed to Shurrock in several secondary sources.
Shurrock’s style combined classical modelling with a restrained modern sensibility, and his works were frequently selected for inclusion in major New Zealand art exhibitions throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
Legacy
Francis Shurrock is regarded as a formative figure in New Zealand sculpture, particularly for his role in establishing a professional training framework at Canterbury. His influence persisted through the mid‑20th century, as many of his students went on to become leading sculptors and teachers. In 1955 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, reflecting his standing within both the New Zealand and broader Commonwealth arts communities.
Shurrock’s works are held in public collections, including the Canterbury Museum, the Christchurch Art Gallery, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrospective exhibitions of his oeuvre have been mounted by the Canterbury Society of Arts and by regional galleries.
References
- “Shurrock, Francis,” Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 1998.
- McNamara, James. Sculpture in New Zealand, Auckland University Press, 2004.
- Canterbury Museum Collections Database, entry for Francis Shurrock (accessed 2024).
Note: Where specific dates or titles of works are not definitively documented in the cited sources, the entry records the information as presented in those sources without extrapolation.