Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE (29 August 1903 – 18 October 1973) was a British sculptor and painter. Best known for his architectural and decorative sculptures featuring allegorical and religious subjects.[1] He was the President of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 to 1966.
Edward Bainbridge Copnall | |
---|---|
Born | 29 August 1903 |
Died | 18 October 1973 Littleborne, Kent, England | (aged 70)
Nationality | British |
Education | Goldsmiths College, Royal Academy |
Known for | Sculpture |
Awards | MBE |
Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1903 and moved to Horsham, West Sussex in England as a young child after the death of his mother. His father, photographer Edward White Copnall (born 1878, Isle of Wight), lived and worked in Horsham from 1915 to 1962.[2] His uncle was Liverpool-based portrait painter Frank Thomas Copnall (1870–1948).[3] The Copnall family have a long association with Horsham, the street Copnall Way is named after them.[4]
The exterior sculptural scheme for the Royal Institute of British Architects new building in Portland Place, London, completed in 1934, was an important early commission.[4]
During the Second World War, he worked as a camouflage officer in the Middle East, building dummies as part of the military deception for Operation Crusader.[5] Copnall lived in Burma from 1955 to 1956, and completed 50–60 paintings,[6] mainly portraits, during that time. He was also commissioned to do a memorial of General Aung San, the first Prime Minister of Free Burma. The statue was unveiled in Burma in 1955.[4]
He was president of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 to 1966. Bainbridge Copnall wrote A Sculptor's Manual, published in 1971, and Cycles: An Autobiography – The Life and Work of a Sculptor, published in 2001. His son was artist John Copnall.