George Bernard Shaw
Kathleen Scott was one of the finest sculptors of her day. Born Kathleen Bruce in Nottinghamshire, she studied at the Slade School of Art before studying under Auguste Rodin in Paris in 1905-06.
In 1908 she married Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the Polar explorer who died in Antarctica in 1912, and her memorial sculptures of him remain some of her most recognised works.
She was remarkably successful in the male-dominated world of sculpture, making her name for male nudes and busts of eminent men. This bust depicts George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) who was a playwright and a leading literary figure. Famous for his wit, he was also a lifelong vegetarian, ardent socialist, Oscar winner and Nobel Laureate. He and Scott were close friends and he sat for her a number of times. It is said that Shaw, then in his 70s, liked this bust so much he favoured it for use on his tomb.
The roughened surface of this bronze clearly shows the influence of Scott’s earlier tutor, Rodin. It gives a sense of activity to the sculpture which, with its head-in-hands pose emphasising the forehead, brings across both the humour and intellectual character of the sitter.
Scott was the first female member on the Council of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
