Bernard Meadows (born 1915, Norwich, England; died 2005, London) was a British modernist sculptor. He was part of the 'Geometry of fear school',[1] a loose-knit group of British sculptors whose prominence was established at the 1952 Venice Biennale.[2]
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He was educated at the City of Norwich School and Norwich School of Art and became Henry Moore's first assistant.
After service in the Royal Air Force in World War II he found acclaim. His Elm figure for the 1951 Festival of Britain went to the Tate. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale a year later. He exhibited from New York City to Tokyo and produced a stream of public and private art in Britain and beyond. His edgy pieces often based on animals and seemingly carved from shrapnel could imply Cold War menace. But teaching commitments came at the expense of his own work. He returned to assist Moore from 1977 and continued to help his mentor's estate. He became Professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art London between 1960 and 1980.
His work entitled Public Sculpture a controversial assembly of stone blocks and balls of dripping and dimpled metal was commissioned for the Eastern Daily Press in 1968 at Prospect House, Norwich.[3] The sculpture is on permanent display outside the building together with prints and drawings in the Prospect House foyer. Also on display an illustrated panel telling the story of Bernard Meadows and Public Sculpture.