
Genesis Sculpture, Plymouth, Devon
2015 ‘Genesis’ stone carving by Jonathan Sells, sited at Plymouth, Devon. Photos © Rob Rowe.
2015 ‘Genesis’ stone carving by Jonathan Sells, sited at Plymouth, Devon. Photos © Rob Rowe.
1994 sculpture by Jonathan Sells depicting ‘Flambard’ the Bishop of Durham, responsible for planning the building of the Priory church in 1094. Photo above © John Allen.
Below are photographs of Jonathan Sells’ 1999 Tregonwell/Creeke sculpture, which is situated outside the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The photos are in the book Bournemouth Curiosities, by W A Hoodless.
Dedication held on May 8th, 2005
Highbridge Somerset
Photos by Mike Lang, Highbridge Somerset
6′ x 6′ x 8′ Purbeck Stone
Click the following links to read about the unveiling of the Frank Foley sculpture:-
BBC covers the Frank Foley sculpture unveiling
Frank Foley sculpture dedicated
Sculptor’s tribute to spy who saved Jews
I was commissioned by the Frank Foley Fair Committee in Highbridge, Somerset to create a stone sculpture in memory of Frank Foley. This project was very important to me, emotionally as well as artistically and I have created a sculpture to embrace both the pain and fear that people faced in Nazi Germany during those terrible times.
Frank Foley was born at 7 Walrow Terrace, Highbridge, Somerset. He headed the passport division in the British Embassy in Berlin during the 1930’s up to the start of World War II in September 1939.
Breaking and bending the immigration rules whenever necessary, he handed out visas to thousands of Jews, anxious to leave Nazi Germany to countries under British rule. Many of these people did not qualify for visas, yet Foley overlooked these discrepancies, and in the interest of saving them from the Gestapo, gave them visas, which made it possible for them to leave the country in time.
He is credited with making it possible for thousands of Jews to leave Nazi Germany, many of whom did not qualify under the immigration laws in force at the time. Foley died in 1958. Based on the testimonies recently received at Yad Vashem, Francis Foley was awarded the title ‘Righteous Among the Nations’.
Some of the ideas that I had behind the components in the statue are:
Highbridge and Somerset connections include:
Jonathan Sells’ sculpture, shown here, is at Osprey Quay, part of The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. Children from the existing Underhill School on Portland influenced the design with their own ideas for their new school, and Jonathan was commissioned to complete the stone panel in 2013.
DepARTure, the arts in education agency for Dorset worked with the Children’s Services Premises Team Education Officer to create this project to engage the children in their new school building design.
Read more about the Osprey Quay sculpture here (this is a link to another website and will open in a new window).