1952-2006 Mason was born in Bolton in 1952. He studied at Bolton College of Art and Design, Wolverhampton Polytechnic and the Royal Academy Schools. He won the Royal Academy Gold Medal in 1976. In 2002, he completed a major commission of six sculptures along the East Yar River on the Isle of Wight. Mason died in 2006. Works VertexDove grey Bardolino marble from Carrara 1979 76x76x213 cmBroad Walk, Harlow With the assistance of an Arts Council of Great Britain grant the Trust provided Mason with his first major commission in 1979. Mason visited Pisani’s stone yard in Matlock where, ambitiously, he selected a three ton block of marble for carving by hand. It took him over twelve months to complete the piece. Sculptors in the early stages of their career who get offered public commissions want to showcase their talents, as future commission will depend on the first. Mason describes his ambitions as ‘a rite of passage’. He didn’t quite envisage the effort involved in making Vertex. It was originally conceived as being much bigger and was going to be sited where Gibberd’s Obelisk now stands, and Masons sculpture makes more sense in this location. Vertex, consisting of a series […]