Francis Neil Dawson (1948) is a New Zealand sculptor, best known for his large-scale civic pieces crafted from aluminum and stainless steel, often made using a lattice of natural forms which between them form a geometric whole.
Born and bred in New Zealand, Neil Dawson is a sculptor of international standing. All of Dawson’s works emphatically echo aspects of this nation’s socio-cultural environments and, literally, elevate these in spatial celebrations that are at once accessible and challenging. A central achievement discernible in this sculptor’s work is his ability to embody in pure space, clusters of socio-cultural and global concerns.
Working for the last 40 years as one of New Zealand’s foremost creators of public sculpture, Neil Dawson’s laser-cut, steel sculptures appear to defy gravity and the weightiness of the medium. Both his large and domestic-scale sculptures possess ever-shifting perspectives as each co-opts the space and light in and around it, playing visual tricks with shadow, perspective, and volume. The fine detailing evident in many works is drawn from sources as diverse as porcelain patterns, building materials, and flora and fauna.
From Christchurch’s Fanfare (northern motorway) and Chalice (Cathedral Square) and Ferns in Wellington's Civic Square to Raindrops in Manchester, United Kingdom, and the Globe in Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Neil Dawson's public artworks have become city icons. Dawson’s Spires, a work of local and national significance, was installed above Latimer Square in Christchurch in 2013. Referencing the spire of the Christchurch Cathedral, destroyed in the earthquake on February 22nd, 2011, Spires provides the opportunity for private reflection and, at the same time, acts as a signifier of a defining moment in the city’s history.
Dawson’s Horizons is one of the earliest sculptures to be commissioned for the Gibbs Farm. Sitting as it does on one of the highest points in the property it is also one of the few works that can be seen from the road.
© 2020. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Neil Dawson. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
Born and bred in New Zealand, Neil Dawson is a sculptor of international standing. All of Dawson’s works emphatically echo aspects of this nation’s socio-cultural environments and, literally, elevate these in spatial celebrations that are at once accessible and challenging. A central achievement discernible in this sculptor’s work is his ability to embody in pure space, clusters of socio-cultural and global concerns.
Working for the last 40 years as one of New Zealand’s foremost creators of public sculpture, Neil Dawson’s laser-cut, steel sculptures appear to defy gravity and the weightiness of the medium. Both his large and domestic-scale sculptures possess ever-shifting perspectives as each co-opts the space and light in and around it, playing visual tricks with shadow, perspective, and volume. The fine detailing evident in many works is drawn from sources as diverse as porcelain patterns, building materials, and flora and fauna.
From Christchurch’s Fanfare (northern motorway) and Chalice (Cathedral Square) and Ferns in Wellington's Civic Square to Raindrops in Manchester, United Kingdom, and the Globe in Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Neil Dawson's public artworks have become city icons. Dawson’s Spires, a work of local and national significance, was installed above Latimer Square in Christchurch in 2013. Referencing the spire of the Christchurch Cathedral, destroyed in the earthquake on February 22nd, 2011, Spires provides the opportunity for private reflection and, at the same time, acts as a signifier of a defining moment in the city’s history.
Dawson’s Horizons is one of the earliest sculptures to be commissioned for the Gibbs Farm. Sitting as it does on one of the highest points in the property it is also one of the few works that can be seen from the road.
© 2020. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Neil Dawson. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
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| Mr. Neil Dawson |
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| 1982, Echo |
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| 1982, Sky Drawings |
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| 1987, Ripples |
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| 1989, Globe |
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| 1992, Snap, Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia |
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| 1992, Snap, Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia |
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| 1993, Flying Chairs |
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| 1993, Sky Drawings |
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| 1994, Horizons at Gibbs Farm |
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| 1994, Horizons at Gibbs Farm |
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| 1994, Horizons detail |
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| 1994, Kahu |
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| 1994, Nor'West Arch, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand |
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| 1994, Sky Drawings |
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| 1994, Sky Drawings |
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| 1994, Sky Drawings |
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| 1994, Sky Drawings |
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| 1997, Vanishing Stairs |
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| 1997, Vanishing Stairs |
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| 1997, Vanishing Stairs |
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| 1998, Ferns |
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| 2001, Chalice |
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| 2003, Corro Dome |
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| 2004, Fanfare |
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| 2004, Fanfare |
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| 2004, Fanfare montage in situ |
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| 2006, dynamic new entranceway sculpture for the city |
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| 2010, Cubes |
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| 2010, Sky Drawings |
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| 2010, Whare |
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| 2015, Black Halos 15 |
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| 2015, Spikes |
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| 2015, Toss, Museum and Heritage Studies |
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| 2019, Kahu |
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| Ascension (Unknown date) |
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| Black Haloes (Unknown date) |
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| Bomber Command war memorial sculpture, Canberra, Australia (Unknown date) |
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| Ohinetahi sphere |
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| Throwback (Unknown date) |
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