John Robinson (sculptor)

The Acrobats in front of the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra

Robinson first made a name for himself with representational pieces. His figurative bronzes ranged in scope and scale from life-size commissioned sculptures of children[5] to athletic sculptures, and included a commissioned bust of[6] Queen Elizabeth and another of the Queen Mother. His representational sports figure Acrobats[7] (1980, 5 metres) was first mounted at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Maui, Hawaii. There are another 7 examples around the world, one of which is located outside the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Australia. Another of his athletic sculptures, Hammer Thrower,[8] may be seen outside the Bowring Building in Tower Hill, London, at the United States Sports Academy, Daphne, Alabama, and in Melbourne, Australia. Robinson was Official Sculptor for the British Olympic Committee in 1988. His Gymnast[9] is at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, donated by the Australian Olympic Committee.

Eternity (1981) at Petrie Plaza, Canberra

Bonds of Friendship in Portsmouth

In 1975, after listening to a Mozart violin concerto, an abstract form came into his mind, which he then translated into a sculpture. This Adagio[10] was the first of his non-figurative sculptures. Robinson then embarked on a series of abstract sculptures with the aim of symbolizing human values and our concepts of the dynamic processes which shape our lives. In this 'Universe Series' of symbolic sculptures and tapestries, which comprises over 100 works, he combined scientific and mathematical principles with artistic aesthetic. One example is Joy of Living[11] (1993), a curving band of stainless steel. The symbolic Elation[12] (1983) conveys the punching of the fist in triumph.

A number of Robinson's sculptures show scientific concepts, such as matter/antimatter in Janus,[13] evolution in Evolution[14] the explosions of stars in StarBurst.[15] He produced sculptures related to fiber bundles[16] and to Borromean rings.[17] He has also made a set of tapestries,[18] woven in Aubusson, France.

One of Robinson's best-known symbolic sculptures is Bonds of Friendship[19] (1979), which he dedicated as symbolizing the notion that "trust is the basis of peace". A 1.5m x 1m edition of Bonds, in polished bronze, was unveiled[20] in 1979 in Sydney Cove by the Governor General of Australia, to commemorate the landing in 1774 of the First Fleet. An analogous sculpture, but patinated to represent the Old Country, was unveiled in Portsmouth by Queen Elizabeth. Robinson said that 'Bonds' "symbolises the friendship that exists between the two countries, as well as between my patrons and myself, which has enriched my life beyond measure and made the Symbolic Sculptures possible".

Selections of Robinson's work have been exhibited at the universities of Leeds, Bangor, Swansea, Liverpool, Wadham College Oxford, Churchill College Cambridge, London, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and at several sites in the U.S. His symbolic sculptures have been donated to a number of Universities, including Bangor[21] (4), Cambridge[22] (5), Durham (3), Oxford (2), Macquarie[23] (1). Many of his sculptures can be viewed on web sites, including the Robinson estate website.[2] A discussion of Robinson's work within the context of mathematical principles can be seen at the website of the Centre for the Popularisation of Mathematics[3] hosted by the University of Wales, Bangor.

After a lifetime of interest in art, archaeology and anthropology, Robinson co-founded the Bradshaw Foundation.[1] This foundation was formed in 1992 following an expedition to the Kimberley region of north-western Australia to examine a distributed set of rock art called the Bradshaws. Robinson's travels to study rock art took him from the Sahara Desert to Easter Island. He was one of the few members of the Chauvet Cave scientific exploration team, led by Jean Clottes. In 1998, Robinson visited the Chauvet cave with Dr. Clottes, Dr. David Lewis-Williams, and several other team members, to visit the images estimated to be older than 35,000 years, the oldest art yet discovered. Robinson also travelled from Petra in Jordan to Kata Tjuṯa in Central Australia, visited art academies throughout China, and explored the temples of Egypt, Mexico, Malta, Samarkand and Bokara in Uzbekistan.

The Bradshaw Foundation's first publication 'Bradshaws - Rock Paintings of North-Western Australia' was edited by Robinson in 1993. He foresaw the importance of the emerging World Wide Web, and in 1997 the Bradshaw Foundation website[1] was established to highlight rock art research from around the world. In 2004 the website further expanded as Robinson introduced the genetic research of Professor Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University, in order to give rock art an anthropological context. This resulted in the 'Journey of Mankind - Genetic Map'.[31] It was at this point the Bradshaw Foundation received a web award from Scientific American[32] for work in the field of Anthropology & Paleontology.

In March 2007 Robinson was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. He died on 6 April the same year at his home in Somerset, England after a short illness, fully in control, and, as he said, with no regrets. Two of his sculptures illustrate his attitude: Mortality (1982), From nothing to nothing, cut from an egg, where the egg is the symbol of the cycle of life; and Immortality (1982), Passing on the torch of life.