Lot 74: Adrian Montford, born 1923 Bhudda~s Sermon of the

Adrian Montford, born 1923
Bhudda~s Sermon of the Flower
Bronze
Signed and numbered 1 from an edition of 3
184cm.; 72½ins high by 91cm.; 36ins wide
Montford is the son of the famous RA sculptor Paul Montford (1868 - 1938) who designed the National War Memorial of Victoria, Melbourne, decorated Battersea Town Hall, the façade of the V&A and the Kelvingrove Bridge in Glasgow. Adrian emigrated to Australia with his family, returning to England following the death of his father. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools, winning a 1st Landseer prize and silver medal for a composition is sculpture, then the St Martins College of Art and Design where he was a contemporary of Barry Flanagan, and Sir Anthony Caro amongst others.
The plaster original of Bhudda~s Sermon of the Flower won the Prix de Rome in 1954, and was exhibited in the Royal Academy, and is based on the legend that Bhudda was asked to give a sermon, so he silently held up a lotus flower, and silently transmitted direct wisdom to his disciples.