Hew Lorimer - by Katharine Eustace (Hardcover)

About the Book

How the life and work of the stone carver Hew Lorimer became a vibrant expression of the culture and history of modern Scotland.

Book Synopsis

This first full account of the life and work of the sculptor Hew Lorimer RSA (1907-1993) places him squarely within profound social, religious and cultural change in twentieth-century Scotland.

In her revelatory study, Katharine Eustace draws on new primary material and combines illuminating biography with vivid art history. Eustace investigates Lorimer's background and education, while exploring his association with collaborators and with many of Scotland's leading cultural figures, some from fresh and surprising sources. Specially-commissioned photography, many of the works being recorded for the first time, highlights Lorimer's exceptional achievement.

Lorimer has been under-appreciated and overlooked, but here his great public commissions, Scottish Beasties at Fasnakyle hydro-electric power station, Allegories for the National Library of Scotland, and Our Lady of the Isles on South Uist are examined in depth, giving full voice at last to Scotland's silent sculptor.

Review Quotes

'Hew Lorimer, Scotland's Silent Sculptor', is a cause for celebration given the paucity of publications about sculpture in Scotland. Painting has rightly been well served in recent years but sculpture has stubbornly remained under the radar. With her new book, Katharine Eustace provides a timely corrective to this trend as Lorimer was a central figure in the re-creation of Scotland's sculptural tradition in the 20th century.--Alexander Moffat, OBE RSA

Engagingly written, detailed and richly informative, this book has at its heart a full and fascinating account of the life and work of the sculptor Hew Lorimer. The breadth of the author's research, however, also sets the man and his art in the context both of the Lorimer family (Hew was son of the architect Sir Robert Lorimer) and the art life of Scotland and beyond making the book invaluable both as the biography of a distinguished sculptor and as a contribution to the wider history of Scottish art in the twentieth century.--Duncan Macmillan, The University of Edinburgh

Kate Eustace's detailed account of the life and work of the twentieth-century Scottish sculptor Hew Lorimer takes us from Edinburgh to Buckinghamshire and from the Western Isles to the Kingdom of Fife. The fruit of many years of research and beautifully written, it is a highly engaging narrative of family and friends, patrons and studio practice and an important study of artistic and religious cultures in mid-century Britain.--Dr Elizabeth Cumming, Independent Scholar

Katherine Eustace, in this remarkable monograph, reassesses Hew Lorimer. His natural delight is enthusiastically directed to the vertical spirituality of the high gothic at Chartres rather than the Renaissance masters. Eustace's text is evocative of the precise materiality of Lorimer's art. She paints a richly textured picture of Scottish culture not least of the Lorimer family, dedicated to stone and paint, of whom his father, Sir Robert was major architect, and his uncle, John Henry, an underrated painter. Lorimer somehow manages that unlikely Scottish union of fervent parochialism and international achievement.--Martin Kemp, Trinity College Oxford

Eustace's remarkable book shines a light on Hew Lorimer, the practice and history of Scottish sculpture, and the nation's architectural heritage to revelatory effect. It will inspire you to tour Scotland, seeking Lorimer's work quietly hiding in plain sight.--Alice Strang, Former Senior Curator, National Galleries of Scotland

Much has been written about mid-20th century Scottish visual art, but very little about the sculpture of the period. More than just a biography, this book is a missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle of Scottish culture. It is an essential primer for anyone interested in the interface between sculptors and architects in the mid-20th Century. Katharine Eustace explores the various webs of patronage and creativity that lead us from Eric Gill to Basil Spence and from Coventry Cathedral to Scotland's National Library.--Hugh Buchanan, Independent Artist

This is a timely and necessary tribute to one of Scotland's greatest twentieth-century sculptors. Katharine Eustace combines a detailed knowledge of Lorimer's life with a profound empathy for his work. The result is a book worthy of its subject.--Murdo Macdonald, Emeritus Professor of History of Scottish Art, University of Dundee. Honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture.