| Tom Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 Whiston, England, UK |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Nationality | English |
Tom Murphy (born 1949) is an English artist.
He is a self taught artist, starting his artistic career initially as a hobby and moved quickly to an intense period of self-study, mastering a range of techniques in many art disciplines.
Previously he worked in a number of occupations which included; a seaman, salesman, musician and impressionist in a pop group.
Later he graduated as a teacher at Liverpool John Moores University and taught art at the City of Liverpool Community College. He also worked at a Centre for People with Learning Difficulties. His differing careers and interest in the characteristics of people have both acted as a rich source of inspiration in both his paintings and sculptures.
His early experimenting in painting was finally appreciated when he won first prize in the prestigious BBC 'Art 88' competition. His big success in sculpture came in 1996 when his 7" 6' (226.8 centimetres) sculpture of John Lennon was seen by a representative of major Liverpool Company, Littlewoods. He was commissioned to sculpt two monumental size bronzes of the Moores brothers for Liverpool's premier shopping area Church Street.
His work is all over the city of Liverpool as well as in Chorley, Lancashire, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, Germany and New York. He has also sold many smaller works around the world.
He is the first choice of Sculptor for all the major Liverpool institutions and in 2003, he was voted by Radio Merseyside listeners and Liverpool Echo readers as the 76th Greatest Merseysider.[1]
Now his work is known all over the world since creating the iconic statue of John Lennon at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport which was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and attended by John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.[2] His sculptures of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock, commissioned by Merseytravel are sited at Lime Street Railway Station, Liverpool.[3] His bronze statue of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson was errected in front of the railway station in St George's Square, Huddersfield (Wilson's home town). It was unveiled by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the presence of Wilson's widow, Mary, in 1997. Though best known for his large sculptures, he has always maintained his interest in a wide range of art disciplines and sectors. An accomplished painter, he has been commissioned to paint many key Merseyside figures including the official retirement portrait of Mr John Moores.