Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Born 1903
Died 18 October 1973

Active: 1920 - 1966

Country of birth: South Africa

Country of death: England

Sculptor, painter

Born in South Africa. He came to England as a young child and attended the Liverpool Institute and Skinners School. Copnall received his art training at Goldsmiths College and the Royal Academy Schools, finishing at the latter in 1924. Between 1924 and 1927 he earned a living painting portraits but after encountering the work of Eric Kennington, Copnall turned to sculpture. An important early commission was the sculptural scheme for the exterior of the new building for the Royal Institute of British Architects in Portland Place, London (1931-4). During the 1930s he was commissioned to make wood carvings for the 'Queen Mary' and 'Queen Elizabeth' liners. He also engraved glass screens for the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square and created one of the stone figures on the corner of the Adelphi building.

During the Second World War Copnall served as a camouflage officer in north Africa, the near east and Italy lecturing to troops on the importance of deception and camouflage. He was awarded an MBE for his services. At the end of the war he was given a studio at the British School at Rome where he painted portraits of officers. Between 1945-53 Copnall was principal of the Sir John Cass School of Art, London.

During the 1950s he began to experiment with working in fibreglass having been quick to see its sculptural potential. Copnall's first important work in the new material was 'Swan Man' for the ICT building, Putney Bridge. At the same time he continued to carve in stone and completed a series of carvings of actors and playwrights in Carrara marble for the exterior of the office building constructed on the former St James's Theatre site in London. He also received a number of commissions for portraits, amongst these was a statue of Manilall Maganlall Doctor for Mauritius (1957-8) which statue stands in the Jardin de La Compagnie in Port Louis, Mauritius. Copnall was president of the Royal Society of British Sculptors from 1961-66.

This record includes information submitted by Selvanathan Sangeelee from personal knowledge and the biography of Manilall M. Doctor by Doojendraduth Napal, published in 1963, pp. 174-7, with a photograph of the statue on the cover.

Wealth at death: £7,861 0s. 0d.
Probate date: 12 November 1973

Citing this record

'Edward Bainbridge Copnall', 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=msib6_1205495382, accessed 03 Jun 2023]