Bernard Meadows, a British Modernist sculptor, was born in 1915 in Norwich. He honed his skills at the Norwich School of Art from 1934 to 1939. Meadows initially worked as Henry Moore’s first assistant, later dedicating 20 years as a professor of sculpture at the Royal College of Art. He returned to assist Moore in his later years, indicating the depth of their professional relationship.

Meadows’ own sculptural journey was heavily influenced by Moore, whom he regarded as a mentor. Despite his potential for individual acclaim, Meadows devoted his life to the arts, especially sculpture. His career had an early highlight in 1936 when, at 21, he participated in London’s first surrealist exhibition. His next major exhibition came in 1951 during the Festival of Britain at Battersea Park, but it was his 1952 representation of Britain at the Venice Biennale that brought him international recognition. This exposure was partly thanks to Herbert Read’s essay, which led to Meadows and his peers being labeled as the ‘Geometry of Fear’ sculptors.

Meadows held his first solo exhibition at Gimpel Fils in 1957. He was also an influential professor at the RCA, where he taught for two decades and influenced many students, including Elisabeth Frink. In the 1960s, he also taught at the Chelsea School of Art.

In his work, Meadows often used crabs and birds as substitutes for the human form, allowing him to explore human themes without direct representation. His bird sculptures, often depicted in states of transformation or distress, are particularly poetic. Meadows viewed these non-human figures as “human substitutes,” enabling him to express human emotions more freely and innovatively.

In 1995, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park celebrated Meadows’ 80th birthday with a retrospective of his sculptures and works on paper. His creations are part of prestigious public and private collections worldwide.

Following his death in 2005, Meadows’ works have seen a resurgence in popularity and value. His sculptures have fetched varying prices at auctions, with the piece ‘Startled Bird’ achieving a record $217,298 USD at a Christie’s London auction in 2013.