- George Wyllie
George Wyllie
MBE (born 1921) is a Scottishartist who resides inGourock . He worked as acustoms officer before taking up art. He describes himself as a "scul?tor".He has produced a number of notable public works notably the
Straw Locomotive and thePaper Boat . The "Straw Locomotive" consisted of a full size steam locomotive, constructed from straw, and suspended from theFinnieston Crane , by theRiver Clyde inGlasgow [cite web| publisher=Springburn Virtual Museum|accessdate = 2008-06-03|title=Straw locomotive, by George Wyllie, 1987|url = http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/springburn/spring096.htm] . The sculpture was built at the former locomotive works atSpringburn , and suspended from the crane for several months during the 1988Glasgow Garden Festival , before being taken back to the Springburn site and ceremonially burnt. The 80-foot "Paper Boat" was exhibited at The Tramway in Glasgow and at other sites including a placement on the Hudson River in New York [cite web| publisher=New York Times|accessdate = 2008-06-03|title=Weekender: Monster Model Boat|url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEED71539F930A25754C0A966958260|date=1990-07-13] , for which visit it carried quotations from Adam Smith's "The Theory of Moral Sentiments ". [cite journal |last= Macdonald |first= Murdo |year=1994|title=The social space in Scottish art |journal=Edinburgh Review |volume=91|pages=29]His "Slap and Tickle Machine" is in the collection of the
People's Palace ,Glasgow , and wind-up stainless steel palm trees and a sculptural bandstand featured in the café of theKelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum inGlasgow .Wyllie's work can also be seen in the "Clyde Clock" (depicting a clock on running legs), outside
Buchanan bus station and in the "Monument to Maternity" (depicting a huge nappy pin), on the site of the formerRottenrow Maternity Hospital. Collections: Glasgow Corporation Museum of Transport, Cheshire County Council, Glasgow Cathedral, St. John's Kirk, Perth, St. Mary's Hospital, Lanark, Mitchell Limited, Greenock, and public and private collections at home, USA and Sweden.Wyllie stood as a list candidate (
Scottish Senior Citizen's Unity Party (SSCUP) ) for the West of Scotland region in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary Election. [cite web| publisher=BBC News|accessdate = 2008-06-03|title=War veteran joins Holyrood fight|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6521853.stm|date=2007-04-03]He is a past president of the
Society of Scottish Artists and provides an award for an imaginative work at their annual exhibition.He was awarded the MBE in the New Years Honours List 2005.
Works
(Partial list)
The Paper Boat .Straw Locomotive .The World is Small .The Happy Compass. Clyde Clock .Slap and Tickle Machine .Monument to Maternity .Publications and Films
The Cosmic Voyage .A Day Down a Goldmine. References
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