Ronald Moody (Sculpting Life)

Ronald Moody is a significant artist of the twentieth century, yet until now there has been no comprehensive monograph on his work. This biography explores the development of his sculpture, reestablishing his place within the story of twentieth-century art.

Born in Jamaica, Moody arrived in Britain in 1923, establishing studios in London and Paris. In 1939, his works were shown alongside African American artists in a large survey exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art. By 1941 he had produced some forty known sculptures in bronze and wood, and was regularly exhibiting internationally. Immersed in the art world, he formed friendships with journalists, actors, and artists including Marie Seton, Wifredo Lam, and Man Ray, until forced to flee the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1940. Back in London, he continued to work and exhibit for nearly half a century, accepting the prestigious Gold Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for his eminence as an international sculptor in 1977.

Contributions by those who knew him—Paul Dash, David A. Bailey, Cynthia Moody, Errol Lloyd, and Val Wilmer—punctuate Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski’s account exploring the artist’s work and broader creative endeavors, including poetry and broadcasts for the BBC World Service. Scores of Moody’s works are illustrated, from large-scale figurative sculptures carved in wood through to postwar experimentation with concrete and resin casting. These pieces are set within the context of his contemporaries Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and artists he exhibited alongside, such as Althea McNish and Aubrey Williams, who were part of the group known as the Caribbean Artists Movement, of which Moody was a founding member.