# Tom Taylor (sculptor)

Tom J. Taylor (1925–1994) was a New Zealand sculptor and educator who spent most of his life in Christchurch. He was a well-regarded lecturer at the University of Canterbury (UC), and a number of his students became notable artists.
Taylor trained in architecture and later sculpture at the forerunner of UC. He spent most of his working life as a lecturer at the UC School of Art. Taylor specialised in sculpture and later led that department. He taught and largely practiced modernism. But he encouraged his students to explore other movements and unconventional media.
As a sculptor, his productive early and sparse late periods were figurative.
His middle period, the decade from the mid-1960s, was mostly formal abstraction. Taylor also designed houses, theatre sets, and was an organiser in the Christchurch arts community.

## Early life and education

Taylor was born in Christchurch in 1925. He completed his schooling at St Kevin's College, Oamaru, and passed the examination to enter university (or matriculated) at 14+1⁄2 years old. However, World War II interrupted his studies. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy and served overseas for the last two years of the war.
On his return, Taylor studied architecture then sculpture at Canterbury University College (CUC). He completed a degree in architectural construction in 1947. Then in 1952, at the School of Fine Arts, Taylor completed a diploma in the fine arts. He trained in figurative sculpture under Eric Doudney.

## Working life
### Educator

Taylor was an educator in Christchurch throughout his working life. He started as the art master of St Andrew's College in the late 1950s. During that period, the CUC School of Fine Arts became the UC School of Art, and it moved from the city centre to the suburb of Ilam. Taylor returned to the school in 1960 as a lecturer specialising in sculpture. He led the sculpture department from 1969 until his retirement in 1991.
As late as the mid-1980s, Taylor taught and largely practiced modernism. But he encouraged his students to explore other movements and unconventional media. A number of Taylor's students became notable artists. They include Chris Booth, Rodney Broad, Stephen Clarke, Paul Cullen, Bing Dawe, Neil Dawson, Stephen Furlonger, Rosemary Johnson, John Panting, Matt Pine, Phil Price, Pauline Rhodes, Carl Sydow, Bronwyn Taylor, Merylyn Tweedie and Boyd Webb. Interviewed in Christchurch newspaper The Press, Dawson remembered Taylor as a highly intelligent but tough sculpture and art history lecturer. He continued "[Taylor] set challenges which would last for the rest of your life, and you can't ask for more than that from your teacher."
Taylor was a well-regarded educator according to his obituary, a remembrance and a subsequent art history assessment.

### Sculptor

Taylor's early work was figurative and mainly in concrete (see Known works). In 1966, he received the first Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) Guthry travel grant, and visited Australia. There, Taylor was inspired by the massive steel work of Clement Meadmore. For the next decade, he produced mostly formal abstractions in steel. In 1969, Taylor received a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council travel grant. He visited Europe to study sculpture in bronze with Quinto Ghermandi [it] and steel with Rudolf Hoflehner [de]. From the 1980s, Taylor returned to figurative work, and produced the occasional bust in bronze. Taylor was a member of The Group and 20/20 Vision in the 1960s, and the Sculptors' Group in the early 1970s. He exhibited work with all three.
Only a few critical evaluations of Taylor's work have been found, but they are positive:
* Moraine (1967) was a freestanding sculpture. It was Taylor's first formal abstraction, and was composed of forms made from welded sheet steel. The description of the work on the Christchurch Art Gallery (CAG) website noted how its smooth finish hid the technique used to make it.
* IBM Centre external to internal (1971) was an architectural sculpture, again composed of steel forms. At over 4 metres high and 5 meters long, it was Taylor's largest known work. It was mounted in the portico at the front of the office block. Vertical forms on the floor and ceiling curved to horizontal and merged. The work continued through a gap in the glass curtain wall to its end in the lobby. Architect Martin Hill sketched and reviewed the work for his Wellington Townscape column in The Dominion newspaper. He wrote it was "... a sensitively shaped vigorous form." that rewarded repeat viewing.
* Transit (1976) was another architectural work and the last known formal abstraction. It was in University of Auckland Medical School, and was mounted in a stairwell landing which had a window. The work was made from steel sheets on beams running between the walls and ceiling. In his book New Zealand Sculpture: A History, art historian Michael Dunn wrote it was highly abstract and industrial looking. He noted how "... the beams appear to move in space, creating a contrast with the architecture and a frame for the view through the window ..."
* W. A. Sutton C.B.E. (1991–92) was a bust of painter Bill Sutton, which was cast in bronze and was Taylor's last known work. Art critic John Coley wrote it was a fine head. The CAG description said it was "... modelled in a loose, spontaneous style that gives the work a sense of liveliness and immediacy."
However, both Coley and Dunn wrote that Taylor's lasting contribution to sculpture was as an educator rather than a practitioner.

### Designer

Although Taylor only had initial training in architecture, he still designed houses for acquaintances in Christchurch. The first was for his School of Art colleague and close friend Bill Sutton. Taylor designed the house, including a studio, in a local modernist style. Built in 1963, Sutton lived there until he died in 2000. The house on Templar Street, Richmond was one of the few in that area to survive the 2010 Canterbury and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Owned by Christchurch City Council since 2019, it is used as an artist's residence. In 2022, Sutton House and Garden was listed by Heritage New Zealand as a category 1 historic place of special or outstanding significance. Taylor also designed the Governors Bay house of author Margaret Mahy, who lived there from 1968 until her death in 2012. Sources conflict on whether Taylor designed a third house on Gloucester Street, Linwood in the early 1970s
for another colleague, the painter and potter Doris Lusk.
Between 1953 and 1972, Taylor also occasionally designed theatre sets. Most were for Shakespeare plays performed by the UC drama society, which were produced by Taylor's friend, the author Ngaio Marsh.

### Organiser

Taylor helped to found a number of art ventures, all based in Christchurch.
In 1964, John Coley and Taylor inspired other artists to form 20/20 Vision, an informal group influenced by international contemporary art. The group held annual exhibitions of its members' work 1965–68.
The Sculptors' Group, founded by Taylor and his student Carl Sydow in 1970, organised lectures and held three exhibitions. It disbanded in 1972 when members moved from South to North Island or overseas for training or work opportunities.
In 1980, printmaker Jule Einhorn set up the Gingko Print Workshop and Gallery for Works on Paper with the help of printmaker Barry Cleavin and Taylor. Gingko was located in the Arts Centre, of which Taylor was a board member, and its buildings used to be the CUC School of Fine Arts, where he had trained. The print workshop closed in 1992.

## Personal life

Taylor and his former wife Paddy had three children. His later partners were Joan Livingstone then, by the time of his death, Jule Einhorn. Taylor died in 1994 aged 69.

## Known works

| Year | Title, subject or description | Type | Medium | Dimensions | Notes |
| c. 1960 | WWII airman in flying kit | Memorial model | Clay for concrete | H 3300 mm | Commissioned for Brevet Club, Christchurch. Model completed. Not cast due to mould damage and club concern that memorial would become dated. See also Icarus falling (1964). |
| c. 1962 | John Baskcomb | Bust model | Plaster for bronze | | Shown at The Group exhibition. Likely English character actor John Baskcomb. |
| c. 1963 | Head of H. Winston Rhodes | Bust | Concrete | | Shown at The Group exhibition. Harold Winston Rhodes was UC lecturer in English. See also Professor Winston Rhodes (1989). |
| c. 1964 | Icarus falling | Bas-relief | Concrete | | Also commissioned for Brevet Club. Accessible at Spitfire Square, Christchurch. |
| c. 1964 | Shakespeare | Sketch model | | | Shown at The Group exhibition. Commissioned for original Ngaio Marsh Theatre at UC. Proposed in concrete, but produced in steel, see Shakespeare (1967). |
| c. 1965 | Echoing figure | Statue | Plaster | Life-size | Shown at first 20/20 Vision exhibition. |
| c. 1967 | Shakespeare | Memorial | Steel | L 4000 × H 910 mm | Commissioned for original Ngaio Marsh Theatre at UC. Etched with Shakespeare portrait. Theatre damaged beyond repair by 2011 Christchurch earthquake then demolished. Not installed in rebuilt theatre. |
| 1967 | Moraine | Freestanding | Steel | 1300 × 1000 × 1470 mm | First formal abstraction. In CAG collection. |
| 1967–68 | Tuarau | Freestanding | Steel | 460 × 380 × 380 mm | Second formal abstraction. |
| 1968 | The Sum of the Squares | Freestanding | Steel | 677 × 1486 × 750 mm | Third formal abstraction. In CAG collection. |
| c. 1968 | Climactic | Freestanding | Metal | | Shown and for sale at The Group exhibition. |
| c. 1968 | St Ivo | Freestanding | Metal | | Shown and for sale at The Group exhibition. |
| 1970 | IBM Centre external to internal | Architectural | Steel | L 5200 × H 4400 mm | Commissioned for 155–161 The Terrace, Wellington by owners A.M.P. Society, following international competition. Reviewed. Deinstalled. |
| 1973 | Palladian Subdivision | Installation | Multi-media | | At CSA Gallery. Palladian floor plan with piles of building materials later for sale in mock auction. Conceptual and performance art. |
| 1973 | Queen Elizabeth II Park fountain | Fountain | Fountain | | Commissioned for 1974 British Commonwealth Games. Park damaged beyond repair by 2011 Christchurch earthquake then demolished. |
| c. 1975 | Ngaio Marsh | Bust | Plaster or concrete | | Mentioned by Taylor in anecdote about fire at UC School of Art on 21 March 1975, which destroyed his office. Bronze bust of Marsh also produced, but year unknown. |
| 1976 | Transit | Architectural | Steel | 2700 × 4200 × 3300 mm | Commissioned for University of Auckland Medical School. Last formal abstraction. Reviewed. Deinstalled. |
| c. 1989 | Professor Winston Rhodes | Bust | Bronze | | Commissioned as memorial for UC professor of English. |
| 1991–92 | W. A. Sutton C.B.E. | Bust | Bronze | 340 × 210 × 200 mm | Painter Bill Sutton and Taylor were colleagues at UC School of Art. In CAG collection. |