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Anthony Hatwell

Anthony Hatwell (1931-2013), a contemporary of William Turnbull and Eduardo Paolozzi, created his own style of sculpture, avoiding superfluous detail or decorative features. As well as his papers, correspondence and photos, the archive also holds Hatwell’s modelling tools and mallet.

Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit, holding a small hammer, at work on a sculpture made from pieces of wood nailed together haphazardly.

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Typed artist statement by Anthony Hatwell. It reads:

Old, well used tools for sculpting, comprising a wooden-handled knife with a wide, flat blade; a rectangular wooden block; and a long, rounded modelling tool with 'Hatwell' scratched into it.

A wooden mallet used for carving sculpture, photographed in an archival setting.

Two photos side by side showing different angles of an abstract sculpture by Anthony Hatwell. The sculpture is a roughly carded block of wood, with some surfaces and notches painted black.

An abstract sculpture by Anthony Hatwell, constructed from wood and canvas and painted in black, yellow and red.

Abstract sculpture by Anthony Hatwell, constructed from wood and painted black with white lines. It gives the impression of a standing figure with arms raised behind their 'head'.

Abstract sculpture by Anthony Hatwell, carved from wood to give the impression of tall flowers, clustered closely together, stood in a small vase. It is painted white with black lines, with the petals of the flowers a light pink.

Abstract sculpture of a head by Anthony Hatwell, carved from wood and painted white, black and dark blue. The 'face' is very flat, with rough blocks of black paint giving the impression of hair, eyes and a mouth.

Black and white photo of the interior of a warehouse-like space. On one wall pieces of wood look to be joined together haphazardly, reaching up to the ceiling. In the centre of the photo there is a block of stone, ready to be carved.

Black and white photo Anthony Hatwell, who is working topless outdoors carving a series of small sculptures.

About the artist

“I construct a metaphor for an object from the visible world, creating forms which will articulate the space through plane and form relationships, implied movements and spatial directions.

“I wish a tension to exist between the polarities of the humanistic subject and the spatial structure, fused into one elemental image which bestrides the perceived external world and the internal world of the imagination.”

Anthony Hatwell, March 1982

Anthony Hatwell (1931-2013) studied art under David Bomberg at the Borough Polytechnic, now London South Bank University. Bomberg’s teaching was said to have imposed strict restraints for painting, and so Hatwell found freedom in creating his own style in sculpture, avoiding superfluous detail or decorative features.

Hatwell developed alongside artists such as Lucien Freud and Leon Kossoff. In 1953 he took part in the Young Contemporaries show for the first time in London. He was a contemporary of William Turnbull and Eduardo Paolozzi, and exhibited with them at Thirty Queen Street, Kings Lynn.

At a similar time he was becoming part of the ‘London Group’, beginning to exhibit with them in 1952. Formed in 1913, it is one of the oldest artist-led organisations in the world, and was created to offer exhibiting opportunities to artists beyond the Royal Academy of Arts. Hatwell was President of the London Group from 1961-63.

From here, Hatwell moved to Edinburgh to pursue a career in teaching. He held the role of Head of Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art from 1969-90. During this time he helped to bring modernism into the teaching at the college.

Hatwell continued to produce sculpture during his time in Scotland and exhibited in many group shows. It was not until 2013, at the age of 82, that Hatwell had his first solo exhibition, held at the Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh.

What’s in the collection?

As well as papers, correspondence, publicity materials, photographs, and two workbooks, the archive also holds Hatwell’s modelling tools and mallet.

There are also several Hatwell works in the Leeds Sculpture collection, including the sculpture Head 1982. Hatwell is also in many British collections, particularly in Scotland where his work resides in institutions such as the University of Dundee, the University of Stirling, and the City Art Centre, Edinburgh.