James Butler RA (1931 - 2022)
James Butler studied at Maidstone School of Art from 1948 to 1950, St Martin’s School of Art from 1950 to 1952 and subsequently at the Royal College of Art, London. After two years of National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals, he spent the following ten years as a professional stone carver, working on architectural sculptures such as the Queen’s Beasts at Kew Gardens and restoration work on the Albert Memorial. From 1960 to 1975, he taught drawing and sculpture at the City and Guilds of London Art School.
Butler’s work was very much commission based, his first major assignment being a twice life size statue of President Kenyatta of Kenya for the city of Nairobi in 1973. Following this, he gave up teaching in order to work on numerous public commissions and works for private collections throughout the world, ranging from monumental pieces to small-scale sculptures of dancers, children and female nudes. He cited the works of Rodin, Dalou, Degas, Jagger and Manzù as sources of inspiration.
He was elected a Royal Academician in 1972, a Member of the Royal West of England Academy in 1980 and Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1981.
Profile
Born: 25 July 1931 in London
Died: 26 March 2022
Nationality: British
Elected ARA: 24 April 1964
Elected RA: 15 June 1972
Elected Senior RA: 1 October 2006
Gender: Male
Visit James Butler RA (1931 - 2022)'s website
Preferred media: Sculpture
Works by James Butler in the RA Collection
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Works associated with James Butler in the RA Collection
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Gallery
![James Butler RA, Young Dancer]()
James Butler RA, Young Dancer.
![James Butler RA, Model Waiting]()
James Butler RA, Model Waiting.
![James Butler RA, The Young Queen]()
James Butler RA, The Young Queen.
![James Butler RA, D Day Memorial to the Green Howards]()
James Butler RA, D Day Memorial to the Green Howards.
![James Butler RA, William Shakespeare]()
James Butler RA, William Shakespeare.
![Portrait of James Butler RA sitting at the base of the Rainbow Division Memorial, in the Black Isle bronze foundry.]()
Portrait of James Butler RA sitting at the base of the Rainbow Division Memorial, in the Black Isle bronze foundry.
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Selected Commissions
Portrait statue of Vincent Van Gogh
Portrait statue of William Blake
Portrait statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, commissioned by Felix Dennis for his garden of Heroes in Warwickshire
Memorial to the Rainbow Division, Fere en Tardenois, France
Monument to Freedom Fighters of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Portrait statue of Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis, Wellington Barracks, Bird Cage Walk, London
Memorial statue of King Richard III, Castle Gardens, Leicester
The Leicester Seamstress, Hotel Street, Leicester
Anniversary Fountain — Dolphin Fountain, Dolphin Square, London
Portrait statue of John Wilkes, New Fetter Lane, London
World Cycling Champion, National Cycling Centre, Manchester
Fleet Air Arm Memorial, Embankment, London
Portrait statue of Thomas Cook, London Road, Leicester
Portrait bronze bust of Sir Frank Whittle, RAF Club, Piccadilly, London
D Day Memorial for the Green Howards, Crepon, Normandy
Life size figure of Ondine, Avalon, Pidemco Land, Singapore
Memorial for Fleet Air Arm Daedalus, Thames Embankment, London
Sculpture tribute to Thunder Gulch, Kentucky Derby Winner
Royal Seal of the Realm, commissioned by The Royal Mint for HRH Queen Elizabeth II
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![James Butler RA]()
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