SPINK | BOOKS
Mary Gillick: Sculptor and Medallist by Philip Attwood
£25.00

Mary Gillick, née Tutin (1881-1965), is probably best known for the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on UK coins from the beginning of her reign until decimalisation in 1971. This book focuses on Gillick's career as a sculptor and medallist, which had already spanned more than fifty years when she experienced that sudden burst of fame. Her subjects range from First World War heroes to such eminent figures as the singer Kathleen Ferrier.

This is the first published study of this neglected British artist, which will be of interest to art historians and numismatists alike, and is released to coincide with the Mary Gillick Jubilee exhibition at the British Museum which opens on 2nd June 2022.

Published by Spink Books in association with the British Museum

Hardback

With colour illustrations throughout

216 pages | 170 x 240mm

For more information, or to order, see:
Mary Gillick: Sculptor and Medallist by Philip Attwood(https://spinkbooks.com/products/mary-gillick-sculptor-and-medallist-by-philip-attwood)

Seventy years ago the young Queen Elizabeth II sat down to have her profile immortalised, for the first time, on British currency - this display reveals the artist and the process behind the portrait.

Celebrating Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee year, this intriguing display presents the life and work of the sculptor Mary Gillick (1881-1965). Gillick enjoyed a burst of fame when, in her seventies, she was invited to model The Queen's head for the new coinage, released directly after her accession in 1952. The public were keen to celebrate their new monarch, and The Queen's newly minted likeness caused great excitement.

The show follows Gillick's long career, from her training in sculpture at London's Royal College of Art in the early 1900s, through her specialisation in medallic art, to her 1952 success and beyond. Gillick's extensive body of work includes cast medals showing an airman who shot down a Zeppelin over England during the First World War and prominent suffragette Ida Wylie. The work on display demonstrates Gillick's skill as a portraitist and as a designer and, with a 15th-century medal by Italian artist Pisanello, shows her debt to the Renaissance - a key element that fed into her portrait of Queen Elizabeth.

A highlight of the display will be items presented to the British Museum by the artist's family in 2005, which included medals created by Gillick from the 1910s to the 1950s, a set of large-scale plaster models of her portrait of The Queen, and insightful documents relating to the coins.

For more information, see:
The Asahi Shimbun DisplaysMary GillickmodellingThe Queen'sportrait(https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/mary-gillick-modelling-queens-portrait)

To read a CoinsWeekly article on the exhibit, see:
https://coinsweekly.com/british-museum-displays-mary-gillick-modelling-the-queens-portrait/