Robert Clatworthy (sculptor)

Robert Clatworthy (1928 – 2015) was a British sculptor known for his large-scale, semi-abstract bronze and plaster figures, often of animals, particularly bulls and horses.

Clatworthy was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, and studied at the West of England College of Art, Bristol, and later at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. His work is characterized by its rough, textured surfaces and powerful, expressive forms. He often employed a reductive approach, simplifying the forms of his subjects to their essential elements.

Clatworthy's work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Arts Council Collection. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1973. He also taught sculpture at various art schools, including the Central School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. His influence on subsequent generations of British sculptors is significant. Later in his career, Clatworthy explored printmaking, creating lithographs and etchings that reflected his sculptural interests. His sculptures often evoke themes of power, struggle, and the relationship between humanity and nature.