REYNOLDS, Bernard

1915 - 1997

Bernard Robert Reynolds was born at Norwich, Norfolk on 2 June 1915, son of Edward Bernard Reynolds (11 February 1883-9 December 1938), a merchant's clerk, and his wife Mary Emma Cowles (10 July 1883-21 June 1962), daughter of Robert William Cowles, who married St Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, Suffolk on 3 August 1914. Bernard was educated at the City of Norwich school and studied at the Norwich School of Art 1932-1937, and the Westminster School of Art in London 1937-1938 under Eric Schilsky (1898-1974) and Blair Hughes-Stanton. In 1939, an unmarried electrical instrument tester, living at 87 Gipsy Lane, Norwich with his widowed mother Mary, and worked as a naval instrument engineer 1938-1947 and for a year was a lecturer in sculpture at the Sheffield College of Art. In 1948 he took the position as lecturer of sculpture at the Ipswich School of Art where, amongst others, he taught Ray Exworth and John Alfred Green, who both went on to have successful careers in sculpture. He assisted Henry Moore and created public commissioned sculptures around Ipswich and Norwich as well as having a long teaching career in sculpture at the Suffolk College from where he retired in 1980. He remained linked to Norwich through his involvement as a founding member of the Norwich Twenty Group and a non-exhibiting member of the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle 1946-1954 from Norwich and from his then home at Brook Cottage, Washbrook, Ipswich. A member of the Colchester Art Society and a member of the Ipswich Art Club from 1950, where he was elected president 1992-1997, and his bronze 'The Artist's Son' was shown at the Club centenary exhibition in 1974. In 1978, he exhibited from 20 Anglesea Road, Ipswich his sculpture 'Dying Seabird' and in 1980 'Nude Study' but by 1985 had moved to the Old School House, Barham, Ipswich. His sculptural work remains in Ipswich today with the 'Ship Fountain' on Civic Drive roundabout and 'Triple Mycomorph' sculpture in Christchurch Park. Reynolds exhibited his work regularly including at the Royal Academy with exhibitions at Keele University, Staffordshire 1965; University of East Anglia 1966; Chappel Galleries, Essex 1991; Butley Priory, Woodbridge 1993 and Advice Arcade Gallery, Norwich 1996. Bernard married firstly at Norwich in 1942, Muriel Florence Green and they had one son and secondly at Ipswich in 1952, artist Gwynneth Jane Reynolds, née Griffiths whom he met at the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Hadleigh, Suffolk, and they had three daughters, Kate Reynolds, Joanna and Emma who are also sculptors. Bernard Robert Reynolds died at Ipswich on 30 May 1997.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 59 City Road, Norwich
1946 1263 Chloë - head
         1287 The Artist's Son - head, bronze

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Works by This Artist