2002
SP0686 : Forward statue, Birmingham
taken 22 years ago, near to Birmingham, England
Forward statue, Birmingham
The statue was cast in polyester resin, and it represented the march of Birmingham from its smokey industrial past into the future. Figures included Joseph Chamberlain with his monocle and Josiah Mason, founder of the University, with an armful of books. The Lady of the Arts, from the city's coat of arms, blew a kiss to the past, while an actress curtsied to the Repertory Theatre. The formula on the shoulder of the leading figure referred to DNA, representing the continuing advance of scientific discovery. The Birmingham-educated scientist, Maurice Wilkins, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for work on DNA.
The sculptor was the late Raymond Mason, one of Birmingham's most famous artists. Surprisingly, this was the first home commission for an artist with work in Canada, the United States and France.
Unfortunately, at lunchtime on 17 April 2003, the statue was irreparably damaged by fire. It was later removed.
This page has been
viewed about
29 times