Van Gogh – Welwyn’s bust is part of a wide community

The following report has been produced by the sculptor, Anthony Padgett, who provided this photo..

In total there are 7 of the sculptures (each in England, France, Holland and Belgium.

The locations were chosen after careful research into the life of Van Gogh.

Europe mainland:

  • Espace Van Gogh in Arles (to be unveiled on 9th March 2019), France, where Van Gogh lived as an artist 1888-1889 in the Yellow House and where he infamously cut his ear off
  • the Van Gogh Library in Nuenen, Holland, (already sited) where Van Gogh lived at the family home and was an artist 1883-1885
  • in the Borinage in Belgium (to be unveiled 2019) where he was a missionary to the mining community 1878-1879

In the UK – the Four places Vincent lived in the UK:

  • Brixton (already sited) Art Dealer 1873-1875,
  • Isleworth (to be unveiled 16th March) – Teacher 1876
  • Ramsgate (to be unveiled 15th June) – Teacher 1876
  • Welwyn (already sited) – where he walked 100 miles to visit his sister in 1876.

The work coincides with a resurgance of interest in Van Gogh and the blockbuster exhibition at Tate Britain of Van Gogh’s work which will celebrate his time in England.

Anthony (50 years old) said “I have had a life-long interest in art and was struck by how Van Gogh’s work was so unique and distinctive. This made me want to explore his technique and create my own work as a result. I spent a year creating 80 artworks around Vincent as I wanted to engage in his intensity to gain an insight into his life. This was so I would be better placed to create a sculpture that captured some of his personality. When you look into the sculpture’s eyes you get a glimpse into the soul of a deep and intense visionary.”

For further details contact the artist:

Anthony Padgett 0790 2342448