Latest news with #GillSans
Telegraph
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
For once the BBC is right: monsters can be great artists too
Eric Gill was undoubtedly a monster, guilty of the sexual abuse of children – his own children. For some reason he recorded his obnoxious private life in his diaries and was guilty of offences within his own family that would have landed him in prison had they been known. Why then, it is being asked, should the BBC wish to spend more than half a million pounds restoring his statue of Prospero and Ariel on the imposing exterior of Broadcasting House? Installed in 1933, the statue has already been attacked with a hammer twice in the last three years, prompting the installation of a protective screen in front of the work. Gill has become a particular target of the far-Right. Yet this sculpture forms an integral part of one of London's iconic buildings and is the masterwork of an exceptionally skilled artist. In the Dictionary of National Biography, Gill is described as 'the greatest artist-craftsman of the twentieth century.' We still live with the beautiful typefaces he designed, such as Perpetua and Gill Sans, enthusiastically adopted by Penguin and other publishers. His view was that 'a good piece of lettering is as beautiful a thing to see as any sculpture or painted picture', but not long before the First World War he began to turn his hand to sculpture as well. Some of his most famous engravings give away aspects of his character: sexualised images of young women commonly appear, and his views about sexuality placed him at odds with the Catholic Church, of which he was a member, long before the posthumous revelation that he was an incestuous paedophile. He bragged that God had placed him on earth to produce his objects of beauty. What, then, does one do with the works of art of a man whose creations were to some extent informed by his unsettling beliefs about religion and sexuality? The choice by the BBC of Ariel as its mascot was inspired: here was a spirit that flew through the air like its radio waves. Behind the opposition to the restoration of Prospero and Ariel there is an all-too-familiar intention of cancelling famous people in the past who led unpleasant lives. But we have to recognise the uncomfortable truth that nastiness can stimulate creativity. Richard Wagner's anti-Semitism may have played into the themes of his operas, but there is no denying the enormous power of his music. It is certainly possible to listen to it without sharing his opinions. Christopher Marlowe led a violent life that probably ended at the point of a dagger. Caravaggio may have been a murderer. They both produced extraordinary art. At a less exalted level, Roald Dahl's nastiness generated some of the most popular children's books of the twentieth century, without creating a generation of equally nasty children. We also have to accept that some of the world's greatest monuments were the creation of rulers who robbed, murdered, raped and enslaved, such as Tamerlane, the builder of much of Samarkand, commemorated in one of Marlowe's plays; while the Parthenon, far from being a proclamation of the virtues of democracy, was a celebration of the often brutal Athenian Empire. Gill's undoubted evil does not cancel out the brilliance of his artistic creations. One can admire skill without admiring personality.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man denies damaging BBC's Eric Gill statue
A man has pleaded not guilty to attacking a statue outside the BBC headquarters, causing more than £150,000 worth of damage. David Chick, 58, of Bozeat in Northamptonshire, is accused of damaging the Grade II listed statue in Portland Place in central London in May 2023. The statue, which depicts Prospero and Ariel from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, was created by Eric Gill Gill was among the most prominent sculptors of the 20th Century. After his death in 1940 his diaries revealed he had sexually abused his daughters. Mr Chick was already facing trial for criminal damage to the same statue during a previous incident in 2022. Judge David Tomlinson granted an application by prosecution barrister Nathan Palmer to join the two matters together during a plea hearing at Southwark Crown Court. "They are two offences of not just the same or very similar nature but, in effect, identical offences," the judge said. The defendant, who wore a black jumper with a red Spiderman logo in the dock, spoke only to confirm his name and deny causing criminal damage to property over £5,000. The judge released Mr Chick on conditional bail and ordered the defendant not to go within 100m (328ft) of the statue. A trial date was set at the same court for May next year. Born in 1882, Gill became an influential artist who created several large sculptures for buildings in central London including Westminster Cathedral and the original headquarters of the London Underground. He was also the designer of Gill Sans, a widely used British typeface. In 1989 a biography was published detailing diary entries in which he described sex abuse committed against his two eldest daughters, an incestuous relationship with his sister, and sex acts carried out on his dog. The statue outside Broadcasting House, installed in 1933, features the characters Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Ariel, a spirt of the air, is depicted as a young naked male. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to HM Courts & Tribunals Service
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eric Gill BBC statue: Man denies damaging Prospero and Ariel work
A man has pleaded not guilty to attacking a statue outside the BBC headquarters, causing more than £150,000 worth of Chick, 58, of Bozeat in Northamptonshire, is accused of damaging the Grade II listed statue in Portland Place in central London in May statue, which depicts Prospero and Ariel from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, was created by Eric GillGill was among the most prominent sculptors of the 20th Century. After his death in 1940 his diaries revealed he had sexually abused his daughters. Mr Chick was already facing trial for criminal damage to the same statue during a previous incident in David Tomlinson granted an application by prosecution barrister Nathan Palmer to join the two matters together during a plea hearing at Southwark Crown Court."They are two offences of not just the same or very similar nature but, in effect, identical offences," the judge defendant, who wore a black jumper with a red Spiderman logo in the dock, spoke only to confirm his name and deny causing criminal damage to property over £5, judge released Mr Chick on conditional bail and ordered the defendant not to go within 100m (328ft) of the statue.A trial date was set at the same court for May next year. Born in 1882, Gill became an influential artist who created several large sculptures for buildings in central London including Westminster Cathedral and the original headquarters of the London was also the designer of Gill Sans, a widely used British 1989 a biography was published detailing diary entries in which he described sex abuse committed against his two eldest daughters, an incestuous relationship with his sister, and sex acts carried out on his statue outside Broadcasting House, installed in 1933, features the characters Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Ariel, a spirt of the air, is depicted as a young naked male.
