Ria Bancroft

Ria Bancroft (1907 – 8 March 1993) was a British-New Zealand artist born in England.[1] She created the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch and her works are held in several New Zealand art galleries.

Ria Bancroft
Born1907
England
Died8 March 1993
Christchurch, New Zealand
NationalityBritish, New Zealander
EducationAcademy of Florence
Known forSculpture
Notable work
Tabernacle Screen Doors, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

Background

Born in England, in 1907, she moved to Canada to work as a television designer and display artist She moved Italy in the 1960s to study art,[2] receiving a Diploma from the Academy of Florence.[3] In 1962 she moved to New Zealand, joining her daughter Peb Simmons in Christchurch. Bancroft died on 8 March 1993 in Christchurch, New Zealand.[3]

Career

After studying art in Italy, it was only after moving to New Zealand that Bancroft began to focus on her sculpture work. Her work often included religious subjects.[3]

Bancroft became a member of the Canterbury Society of Arts[3] and exhibited with The Group[4][5] in 1963,[6] 1965,[7] 1966,[8] 1967,[9] 1968,[10] 1969,[11] 1973,[12] 1974,[13] 1975,[14] 1976,[15] and 1977.[16] In 1964 she was invited to join the New Zealand Society of Sculptors.[3] During this time she also exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts[17][18]

After receiving recognition for her work, Bancroft became increasingly involved in art education and delivered a number of talks and lectures. In 1971 she accepted a position as art teacher at Xavier College, a boys' High School. In 1974 she resigned the position to focus on her art.[3]

In addition to her public works, notable works by Ban include Rocking Horse (1963)[19] and Unicycle No 2.[3] Her final piece, a life size portrait of the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, was completed in 1992.[3]

In 1998 the Robert McDougall Art Gallery held a posthumous exhibition of Bancroft's work entitled, Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture.[3][20] A biography of her life, No Ordinary Woman: A Biography of Ria Bancroft, was written by her daughter Peb Simmons.[21]

Her work is held in the collection of the Suter Te Aratoi O Whakatū gallery[19] and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.[22]

Public works

Bancroft received many public commissions in New Zealand including:

  • Horizon – her first major commission, for the Christchurch City Council in 1965, it incorporated in the design of the new 'Horizon' restaurant at Christchurch International Airport[3]
  • Forms – 9-metre-long mural, made in collaboration with Pat Mulcahy, for the Ministry of Works and was incorporated in the design of the University of Canterbury's new Science Lecture Hall[3]
  • mural for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation building in Rotorua, created in 1966 in collaboration with Pat Mulcahy[3]
  • a maquette "Angel of St Matthew" – for Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church in 1967[20]
  • the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Christchurch’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in 1975, opened 12 June 1977[22][3][23]
  • Thy Kingdom Come – commissioned for the Holy Cross Chapel in Christchurch in the 1970s[3]
  • ‘Christus Rex’ memorial cross for All Saints' Church in Dunedin – completed in 1990[3]

Her work, Energetic Forms, 1965–1966, created with Pat Mulcahy is included in the University of Canterbury sculpture trail.[24]

In the 1980s she assisted in the refurbishment of St Mary’s Catholic church in New Brighton (where she attended) with sculptor Bing Dawe. In addition to work on the altar, lectern, font, and sanctuary, Bancroft created and gifted a sculpture of the Virgin Mary to the church.[3]

References
  1. "Bancroft, Ria". findnzartists.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. "Ria Bancroft – Sculpture Trail – University of Canterbury". www.canterbury.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  3. "Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. "Artists exhibited with The Group". findnzartists.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  5. "The Group 1927 – 1977: an annotated bibliography – Heritage – Christchurch City Libraries". christchurchcitylibraries.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  6. "The Group 1963". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  7. "The Group 1965". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  8. "The Group 1966". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  9. "The Group 1967". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  10. "The Group 1968". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  11. "The Group 1969". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  12. "The Group 1973". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. "The Group 1974". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  14. "The Group 1975". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  15. "The Group 1976". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  16. "The Group 1977". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  17. "Artists exhibited with New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts". findnzartists.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  18. Kay, Robin; Eden, Tony (1983). Portrait of a Century: The History of the N.Z. Academy of Fine Arts, 1882–1982. Millwood Press. ISBN 0908582609.
  19. "Rocking Horse Ride". www.nzmuseums.co.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  20. Robert MacDougall Art Gallery. "Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  21. Simmons, Peggy (1997). No Ordinary Woman: A Biography of Ria Bancroft. David Bateman Ltd. ISBN 1869533623.
  22. "Resurrection Tabernacle screen doors (Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament)". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  23. Crighton, Anna (2014). English, Colonial, Modern and Maori: The Changing Faces of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1932–2002. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1443871693.
  24. "Ria Bancroft and Pat Mulcahy, Energetic Forms – Sculpture Trail – University of Canterbury". www.canterbury.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2017.

Further reading

Artist files for Ria Bancroft are held at:

Also see:

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