| Biography | The Saint Martins School of Art was established in 1854 and was founded by the authorities of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The vicar, Reverend M McKenzie, and others were concerned that industrial education should be developed and allied to the general education already provided by Church schools. Art education was intended to form part of this industrial instruction for apprentices. The school became independent of the parish in 1859. The school was recognised by the Technical Education Board of London County Council in 1894 and became part of the development of technical education taking place in London and Britain. The school became firmly established as one of the major fine art and commercial art schools, producing many well-known artists of the era.
The Gilbert-Garret Competition for Sketching Clubs was started in 1870 at Saint Martins School of Art, during Mr. John Parker's term as headmaster, and was named after its first president, Sir John Gilbert.[11]
The sculpture department of St. Martin's School of Art was set up by Frank Martin in the mid-Fifties. Anthony Caro was among the first instructors there, and he exerted a strong influence, especially with students in his informal evening classes. In his teaching, Caro sought to embrace the changes that had occurred in sculpture over the last 100 years of European art. Among Caro's students were Tim Scott (enrolled in 1956), Phillip King and Isaac Witkin (1957), David Annesley and Michael Bolus in (1958). Bill Tucker (1959). By that time, Phillip King had returned as a teacher, as the others would all go on to do in the next decade. |