TRIBUTES have been paid to the painter and sculptor William Turnbull, who has passed away aged 90.
Born in Dundee, Mr. Turnbull first began to hone his artistic skills when he was employed to paint film posters as a teenager. He went on to attend night classes in art at Dundee University before landing a job as an illustrator with the publishers DC Thomson in the late 1930s.
But he had to wait until after war service as an RAF pilot before being able to study full-time at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. By the end of the 1940s he had moved to Paris where he was soon moving in the same circles as many of the top painters and sculptors in the city at the time.
The experience was to influence his early works as well as marking the beginning of his search for the essence of any object.
After returning to London in the 1950s, the young artist taught for a time at the Central School of Arts and Crafts — the first of two periods at the school. It was during this period that Mr. Turnbull became a leading member of what was regarded as a splinter group within the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Over the years his work has been exhibited across the world.
Among the many people to pay tribute to Mr. Turnbull was Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate. He said: “William Turnbull was an exceptional artist, unusually gifted both as a painter and a sculptor”.
Mr. Turnbull is survived by his two sons, Alex and Johnny.
To see examples of Mr. Turnbull’s work, as well as view a trailer for Beyond Time: William Turnbull, a documentary released by his son Alex, please visit the artist’s official website by clicking here.
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