David McFall RA
Born 21 December 1919
Died 18 September 1988
Active: 1946 - 1963
Country of birth: Scotland
Country of death: England
Sculptor, medallist, letter cutter
Born Glasgow. He was the son of David McFall (1891-1975), a postman. Studied at Birmingham Junior School of Arts and Crafts 1931-34; Birmingham Central School of Arts 1934 (or5)-39 under Charles Thomas; Royal College of Art 1940-41; and City & Guilds of London Art School, Kennington 1941-45 (when the RCA was evacuated to the Lake District). Worked mainly in stone and bronze. In 1939 McFall worked as an assistant to Eric Gill and then between 1944-c1956-58 worked for Epstein. During this time he assisted Epstein on the TUC memorial. McFall also carved carved the inscription for Epstein's statue of Jan Smutts unveiled in Parliament Square and Margaret Dunlop Epstein's headstone in Highgate Cemetery.
From about 1957 McFall worked independently chiefly as a portrait sculptor and over a lengthy career attracted many distinguished sitters. His work was acknowledged in 1972 when he was awarded the Jean Masson Davidson International Award for Distinction in Portrait Sculpture by the Royal Society of British Portrait Sculptors. McFall also worked as a medallist designing, for example the Freedom Medals for the Royal Mint in 1973.
In addition to his portrait work, McFall executed a large number of public sculptures. His principal commissions include: statues of St Bride and St Paul, St Bride's Church, Fleet Street London (1957); Pocahontas, Red Lion Square, London (1958); Sir Winston Churchill, bronze statue, Woodford Green (1959); Ralph Vaughan Williams, bronze relief, Leith Hill Festival Memorial Committee (1961); Lord Balfour, limestone statue, Palace of Westminster, London (1962); Crucifixion, Portland stone statue, Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Thames Ditton (1966); Shying Horse, fiberglass relief, Blackhorse Station, Victoria Line, London Transport (1968); The Golden Gazelle, Abu Dhabi, Trucial States (1968); Stone friezes for the extension to the Institute of Chartered Accountants building, London, architect William Whitfield (1969); Oedipus and Jocasta, Portland stone group, West Norwood Library, London (1972); Memorial to Sir Gerald Kelly, St Paul's Cathedral Crypt, London (1973); Son of Man, bronze statue of Christ, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury (1988).
Between 1956-75 he taught sculpture at City and Guilds School of Art, Kennington and became head of this department. In 1955 he was elected A.R.A. and was made a full R.A. in 1963. McFall was a member of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (1969-71). He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1943 and also showed work in Sculpture in the Home, Arts Council 1946; SB 1951; LCC 1957. McFall's work is represented in the Tate, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Academy, London.
This entry is based on a biography from Whiteley (2001) and information made available by McFall's family online at: http://www.davidmcfall.co.uk/index.html (accessed 4 November 2012).
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Locations
Address 93 Queen's Gate London SW7 | View on map
1945 (Circa)
Address 1A Callow Street London SW3 | View on map
1946 (Circa) - 1949 (Circa)
Studio located at Cedar Studios Glebe Place London SW3 | View on map
1950 (Circa) - 1960 (Circa)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Exhibition 20 by the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, 1946
'Cat'
Exhibited at The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Exhibition), 1768-
1943 - 1970
Exhibited 28 times (9 times up to 1951), eleven works shown up to 1951 then a further fifty-seven works shown thereafter
Exhibited at The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, 1861-1951
1945 - 1979
Exhibited 14 times (an average of one work per show)
Institutional and Business Connections
Associate member of Royal Society of British Sculptors
1947
Elected ARA Royal Academy of Arts
21 April 1955 - 26 April 1963
Elected RA in 1963.
Elected RA Royal Academy of Arts
26 April 1963 - 18 September 1988
Died in 1988.
Student at Birmingham Municipal School of Art, Central School
1934 (Circa) - 1939
He had previously studied at Studied at Birmingham Junior School of Arts and Crafts between 1931 and 1934
Student at Royal College of Art (including National Art Training School)
1940 - 1941
McFall won a Royal Scholarship to the RCA but left when the college evacuated to the Lake District
Student at South London Technical School of Art (also Lambeth School of Art and City and Guilds of London Art School)
1941 - 1945
McFall switched to the art school in Lambeth (City and Guilds) when the Royal College of Art was evacuated to the Lake District
Teacher of sculpture at South London Technical School of Art (also Lambeth School of Art and City and Guilds of London Art School)
1956 - 1975
Head of sculpture for much of this time
Personal and Professional Connections
Assistant to (Arthur) Eric Rowton Gill
1939
Assistant to Jacob Epstein
1944 - 1958 (Circa)
The date at which McFall ceased working for Epstein is unconfirmed, it may have been in 1956.
Nominated by Frank Owen Dobson
27 April 1945
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by E. Vincent Harris
27 April 1945
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by William Reid Dick
27 April 1945
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Gilbert Ledward
27 April 1945 - April 1954
Two nominations for Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], in 1945 and 1954.
Nominated by James Arthur Woodford
27 April 1945 - 27 April 1954
Two nominations for Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], in 1945 and 1954.
Nominated by Maurice Lambert
27 April 1945 - 27 April 1954
Two nominations for Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA], in 1945 and 1954.
Nominated by Malcolm Osborne
27 April 1945
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Siegfried Joseph Charoux
April 1954
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Alan Lydiat Durst
April 1954
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Charles Thomas Wheeler
April 1954
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Edward Le Bas
April 1954
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominated by Alfred K. Lawrence
April 1954
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA].
Nominator of William James Bloye
February 1962
For Associate of the Royal Academy [ARA]; unsuccessful.
Sources
Directory of sculptors working and exhibiting in Britain in the 1950s, by Gillian Whiteley
2001
p. 20
Royal Academy of Arts Nominations for Associateship, c.1939-c.1961
1961 (Circa)
p.104.
Citing this record
'David McFall RA', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib2_1213094235, accessed 05 Jun 2023]