Mary Gillick: Sculptor and Medallist

It will be the first study of Mary Gillick to be published and will feed into the current interest in 20th-century British women sculptors.

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Mary Gillick, née Tutin (1881-1965), is probably best remembered for the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on UK coins from the beginning of her reign until decimalisation in 1971. This book focuses on her career as a sculptor and medallist - a career that had begun at Nottingham School of Art and the Royal College of Art and had already spanned more than fifty years when she experienced the sudden burst of national fame that came with the royal commission. Gillick’s work combines the influence of early Italian Renaissance medals with an appreciation of modernism and shows a readiness to adapt as she responded to changes in the art market. Her experience also adds to the debate on the impact on women of marriages between artists (she was married to sculptor Ernest Gillick from 1905, until his death in 1951) and the choices open to women sculptors of her time. This is the very first study of such an iconic British artist to be published, and is sure to attract the attention of both numismatists and anyone interested in the history of British art alike.