Wally Gilbert
1946 - Born
1964 - West Sussex School of Art and Designt
1968 - Chelsea School of Art, Sculpture Dip.A.D. (B.A)t
1972 - Making one of a kind cast and woven jewelleryt
1975 - Associate lecturer in Art, design and jewelleryt
1982/88 - Worked for Louis Osman, Architect and Goldsmitht
1989 - Designing and producing production jewellery for mail order and retail.t
1993 - Sculptured reliefs and bronze vessels and candlestickst
1994 - Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmithst
1995 - Commissions - designing and making Silver and flat ware.t
2003 - Residency, 6 months, School of Art, Australian National University, Canberra (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship)t
2004 - Residency, 4 months, John Michael Kohler Arts Centre, USA. (Cast Iron)t
2005/6 - AA2 residency Hereford College of Art – Digital and screen prints. Involved in organising joint a joint Korean/British exhibition of silversmithing and jewellery to be shown in both Korea and Britain.
Date of Birth: 27/06/46
Associations: FCL,FWCG,AoBDS
Awards:
3 Commendations, Goldsmiths Craft Council and 1 first prize
Queen Elizabeth scholarship
First prize jewellery, National jewellery competition, 'Birmingham Brilliantly'
West Midlands Arts Award
2002 Creative Ambitions Award
2001 Queen Elizabeth Scholarship
2001 Goldsmiths Craft Council - First prize Designer Silversmiths Senior
1999 Goldsmiths Craft Council Commendation Designer Silversmiths Senior
Commissions:
John Michael Kohler collection, USA
Sheboygan Arts Center, USA
Portland Art Museum, USA - 20th Century Silver Collection
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
De Beers Ascot Diamond Trophy 1 and 2
Vase for presentation to Secretary of State.
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
Worcester Museum and Art Gallery
Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
Victoria & Albert Museum
Seymour Rabinovitch Collection at the V&A
East Midlands Arts, Loughborough
Contemporary Arts Society
Royal Museum of Cornwall
Sheffield Millenium (ABDS) collection
Education:
1956 / 1964 Christs Hospital School
1964 / 1965 West Sussex School of Art
1965 / 1969 Chelsea School of Art ( Sculpture)
Group Exhibitions:
1977 - Metal Jewellery - East Midlands Arts touring
1978 - Schmuckobjecte - Atrium Gallery, Basle
1980 - Plastic Precisely - Arnolfini Gallery, Sunderland Arts Centre
1980 - Armschmucke - Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim ( commendation)
1981 - The Tenth Year, Electrum Gallery
1982 - Five British Jewellers, Galerie Langenbacher, Lucerne
1983 - International Jewellery Exhibition, Tokyo
1985 - Welsh Arts Council Touring Exhibition
1985 - Schmuck fur Kopf und Haar - Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim
1986 - Precious Elements - Usher Gallery, Lincoln
1990 - Lancaster Community Gallery, Pennsylvania, U.S.A
1991 - 20 Years of Electrum Gallery - London
1992 - 20 Artists at Artwear, New York
1993/94 - Bijou Parure - European Touring Exhibition
1993/94 - Goldsmiths Craft Council Exhibition
1993/94 - Secrets - Roger Billcliffe Gallery
1995 - Goldsmiths Craft Council Exhibition
1995 - Contemporary Applied Arts - Showcase Exhibition
1995 - Roger Billcliffe - Tableware
1995 - Exhibition at Goldsmiths Hall of U.K & U.S made 'servers'.
1995/96 - U.S.A. National Museum of Decorative Arts.
1995/96 - Metal Mania - Institute of Fashion and Technology, N.Y.
1995/96 - Chelsea Craft Fair with ABDS
1995/96 - Made in the Middle - West Midlands Touring Exhibition
1997 - Organised group exhibition ' Seven British Silversmiths' at University of Norther Iowa, USA
1997 -Birmingham International trade Fair and Inorgenta with ABDS
1997 -Millennium canteen, Sheffield Museum and Art Gallery with ABDS.
1997 - National Review of Goldsmithing, Legnica, Poland
1998 - ABDS Silver show at Leighton House, London
1999 - Goldsmiths Hall, Cutlery Art ancient and modern, >5000 years=
1999/06 - Goldsmiths Fair, Goldsmiths Hall
1999/06 - Roger Billcliffe gallery - Silver
1999/06 - Silver in motion with ABDS, Amsterdam
2003 - ‘Recent Metal work and Works on Paper’, Workshop Bilk, Canberra, Australia
2003 - Contemporary and Historical silver, Goldsmiths Hall, London
2003 - Cutlery, new designs, The Metal Gallery, London
2003 - The Metal Gallery, Silversmithing Exhibition
2004 - Group silversmithing show (arranged Uni.of Iowa), Seoul, S.Korea
2005 - House and Garden Interior Design exhibition, Olympia – sculpture installation
2006 - Group exhibition with Korean jewellery designers in Seoul, S.Korea.
2006 - ‘Ten’ -Tenth anniversary of ABDS silver
2006 - AA2 exhibition – prints , Hereford College of Art
2006 - Prints, St.Pauls Gallery, Birmingham
Solo Exhibitions:
1978 – Electrum gallery, Londont
1979 – Oxford galleryt
1983/84 - West Midlands touring exhibitiomt
1984 – Oxford galleryt
1987 – Victoria & Albert Museum, joint show with Thomas Gentillet
1989 – ‘Artwear’, New Yorkt
1991 – ‘Stylism’, Japan (joint show)
1992 – Electrum Gallery, London ( joint show)t
1994/98 – Touring show regional Museums,’‘sculpture and jewellery’t
2005/06 – ‘Translations’, Birmingham
Travel: Nationally, Yes Internationally, Yes
Press Quotes: ‘Gilberts silver leaps across cultural boundaries and historical precedents. So much for the tendency of some art critics to classify works according to a current genre or to tie new works to a pattern of historical influence that excludes the independence of creativity…’ Helen Clifford, Metal work Dep. Victoria and Albert Museum
Maker's Statement:
I work as a Decorative Applied artist, as a silversmith and also in cast iron and other materials. Commissions since 2004 include 2 small sculptures of fantastic beasts, an 18c gold cup weighing 1.5 kilos, a silver church censer set with semi precious stones, a jeweled bracelet for Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the parapets of a new road bridge over the Grand Union canal. All of these share a common, personal, decorative language. I love pattern and want to create ornament that leads the eye on with a sense of surprise as it discovers order within freedom and freedom within the closely structured.
Studio visits are welcome.
Commissioning Procedure
I work in both precious metals such as gold and silver and non precious metal such as Ductile cast iron and aluminium in scale from domestic table ware to architectural. If after initial discussion design drawings are required they will be charged from £150 depending upon the complexity or number of drawings and models required.
Straightforward commissions based upon pre existing work may not require design drawings and designs of a more complex or individual nature will be charged for only if the commission is cancelled, I use design drawings as a basis for discussion with the client with meetings at which any necessary adjustments or selections will be made. There is a down payment of 50% of the total on confirmation of the commission.
Pricing Policy
The starting price for a commission is £1,500 but I have worked on commissions with budgets of £200 and £40,000. I work from drawings prepared in consultation with the client, discussed where possible at one or more meetings with the client kept informed throughout.
I am always happy to discuss design and price requirements.
A silver drinking beaker set with semi precious stone starts from £1,600 and a 25 cm chased silver dish standing on a silver base from £2,500. Architectural work will be priced according to the size of the project. but a single panel from a pre existing pattern would cost £850.
VAT Registered: No
