Baroness Bakewell sculpture unveiled
A sculpture of Baroness Joan Bakewell, President of Birkbeck, has been unveiled in the College’s Council Room.
A sculpture of Baroness Joan Bakewell, President of Birkbeck, has been unveiled in the College’s Council Room.
At an event attended by some fifty guests from across the College community and friends drawn from the full span of Baroness Bakewell's life and career, she unveiled the sculpture in the Council Room, where it joins works depicting of some of the most illustrious contributors to Birkbeck. These include Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, Birkbeck’s first female Professor and a prominent botanist and mycologist; Baroness Blackstone, former Master of the College between 1987 and 1997; and the Founder of the College himself, George Birkbeck.
The ceramic sculpture was shaped over three sittings by Baroness Bakewell with artist Glenys Barton. Having trained in the Ceramics School at the Royal College of Art, Barton’s early work focused on precise geometrical forms and she was the British prize-winner at the International Ceramics Exhibition in 1972.
Two of Barton’s early works are on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her subsequent work has centred on the human form, in particular the head. The National Portrait Gallery and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery both display her work, including a second sculpture of Baroness Bakewell housed in the latter.
Speaking after the event, Professor David Latchman, CBE, Master of Birkbeck, said:
“As President of Birkbeck for the last three years, Baroness Bakewell has made a tremendous contribution to the life of the College. She has advocated tirelessly on its behalf at the highest levels; she has congratulated personally many thousands of graduates on their achievements and, most importantly of all, is a passionate supporter of the College’s mission to enable working Londoners to obtain a university education.
“It is fitting, then, that this sculpture will join some of the greatest contributors to the life of Birkbeck in the Council room.”
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