Paul de Monchaux

Paul de Monchaux (born 1934) is a Canadian-born English sculptor and teacher. He has created many public sculptures by commission, which stand in locations in Britain.

Life
De Monchaux was born in Montreal, Canada in 1934. He studied at the Art Students League of New York from 1952 to 1954, and at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1955 to 1958. He taught at the Nigerian College of Technology and at Goldsmiths' College; then at Camberwell School of Art in London he was head of sculpture from 1965 to 1983, and head of fine art from 1984 to 1986. He retired from teaching in 1986 to concentrate on creating sculptures. The sculptor Cathy de Monchaux is his daughter.

Works
Louisa Buck has written that "De Monchaux’s sculptures gather, contain and orchestrate their surroundings." His works include the following:

"Basilica", commissioned by the Lord Chancellor's Department, is situated outside Coventry Crown Court, and was unveiled in 1991. Its height is 2.8 m and the material is Purbeck and Portland limestone and Frankland grey granite. The artist has described the work: "The sculpture uses the displacement of two stacks of identical (in plan) triangular slabs to produce a six sided arch with curved, flush and stepped surfaces.... The arch faces dues north and is designed to register seasonal and daily light changes...."

"Symmetry", a sculpture of granite and sandstone in the grounds of Shrewsbury Abbey, was unveiled in 1994. It is a memorial to Wilfred Owen, commissioned by the Wilfred Owen Association to celebrate the centenary of his birth.

"Water Feature", designed with Townshend Landscape Architects, is in Oozells Square in Brindleyplace, Birmingham. It was commissioned by Argent Development Consortium and dates from 1998. A Japanese-style aesthetic creates a tranquil space in the square.

"Enclosure", in Watts Park, Southampton, was commissioned by Southampton City Council, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and was unveiled in 2000. It is made of granite and Portland stone, and is 4 m high; it is a frame from which to view four landmarks in and around the park.

"Song", of 2004, was commissioned by the BBC, after its TV series 100 Greatest Britons in which Winston Churchill was voted the greatest Briton by viewers. It is an abstract tower of twenty interlocking units of sawn green English heart oakwood; it was inspired by Churchill's use of poetry and song in preparing his wartime speeches. De Monchaux said that he "was struck by Churchill's awareness of the way in which the shape of the spaces around words can amplify their meaning". The sculpture toured several venues before eventual siting in a BBC building in London.

"Breath", of 2009–2011, was commissioned by Norwich City Council as a companion piece to the Norwich War Memorial, designed by Edwin Lutyens. The memorial was turned round and "Breath" was installed in the resulting space in the memorial gardens. It is a bronze sculpture, height 2.63 m; a central slab, relating to Lutyens' stone of remembrance, is flanked by leaves which suggest growth. The inscription reads: "The living honour the dead, only a breath divides them". De Monchaux said: "In a place like this, which is all about contemplation and thinking, it seems both life and death should be referred to".