Donald Potter

Born 21 April 1902
Died 7 June 2004

Active: 1931 - 1965

Country of birth and death: England

Sculptor, carver, modeller, teacher

Born in Newington Kent. Potter worked in stone, ivory, ceramics and wood. He was a self-taught wood carver having been first encouraged to take up sculpture by Robert Baden-Powell.

In 1931 he was interviewed by Eric Gill whilst the latter was working on the figures of Prospero and Ariel for the BBC headquarters in Portland Place, London. Potter worked with Gill at Piggott's as his assistant (1931-7), they continued to collaborate on an ad hoc basis until the latter's death in 1940. Potter published an account of these years in 1980 'My time with Eric Gill: a memoir' (Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Walter Ritchie, 1980).

In September 1940, a year into the war, Potter went to teach at Bryanston School, Dorset. He stayed for sixty years on the staff (and then as an artist in residence) teaching art, sculpture metalwork and pottery. He exhibited three times at the Royal Academy between 1963-5.

(See Obituary in The Guardian on 8 June 2004: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/jun/08/
guardianobituaries.artsobituaries (accessed 28 July 2010)

Citing this record

'Donald Potter', 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_1213111364, accessed 04 Jun 2023]