Ria Bancroft Explained

Birth Date:1907
Birth Place:England
Death Date:8 March 1993
Death Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Nationality:British, New Zealander
Field:Sculpture
Training:Academy of Florence
Works:Tabernacle Screen Doors, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

Ria Bancroft (1907 – 8 March 1993) was a British-New Zealand artist born in England.[1] She created the Tabernacle Screen Doors for Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch and her works are held in several New Zealand art galleries.

Background

Born in England in 1907, as an adult she moved to Canada to work as a television designer and display artist. She moved Italy in the 1960s to study art,[2] receiving a Diploma from the Academy of Florence.[3] She moved to New Zealand in 1962, joining her daughter Peb Simmons in Christchurch. Bancroft died on 8 March 1993 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Career

After studying art in Italy, it was only after moving to New Zealand that Bancroft began to focus on her sculpture work. Her work often included religious subjects.

Bancroft became a member of the Canterbury Society of Arts and exhibited with The Group[4] [5] in 1963,[6] 1965,[7] 1966,[8] 1967,[9] 1968,[10] 1969,[11] 1973,[12] 1974,[13] 1975,[14] 1976,[15] and 1977.[16] In 1964 she was invited to join the New Zealand Society of Sculptors. During this time she also exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts[17] [18]

After receiving recognition for her work, Bancroft became increasingly involved in art education and delivered a number of talks and lectures. In 1971 she accepted a position as art teacher at Xavier College, a boys' High School. In 1974 she resigned the position to focus on her art.

In addition to her public works, notable works by Ban include Rocking Horse (1963) and Unicycle No 2. Her final piece, a life size portrait of the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, was completed in 1992.

In 1998 the Robert McDougall Art Gallery held a posthumous exhibition of Bancroft's work entitled, Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture.[19] A biography of her life, No Ordinary Woman: A Biography of Ria Bancroft, was written by her daughter Peb Simmons and published in 1997.[20]

Her work is held in the collection of the Suter Te Aratoi O Whakatū gallery[21] and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.[22]

Public works

Bancroft received many public commissions in New Zealand including:

Her work, Energetic Forms, 1965–1966, created with Pat Mulcahy is included in the University of Canterbury sculpture trail.[24]

In the 1980s she assisted in the refurbishment of St Mary’s Catholic church in New Brighton (where she attended) with sculptor Bing Dawe. In addition to work on the altar, lectern, font, and sanctuary, Bancroft created and gifted a sculpture of the Virgin Mary to the church.

Further reading

Artist files for Ria Bancroft are held at:

Also see:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bancroft, Ria. findnzartists.org.nz. en. 19 October 2017.
  2. Web site: Ria Bancroft – Sculpture Trail – University of Canterbury. www.canterbury.ac.nz. 19 October 2017.
  3. Web site: Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  4. Web site: Artists exhibited with The Group. findnzartists.org.nz. en. 19 October 2017.
  5. Web site: The Group 1927 – 1977: an annotated bibliography – Heritage – Christchurch City Libraries. christchurchcitylibraries.com. en. 19 October 2017.
  6. Web site: The Group 1963. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  7. Web site: The Group 1965. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  8. Web site: The Group 1966. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  9. Web site: The Group 1967. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  10. Web site: The Group 1968. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  11. Web site: The Group 1969. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  12. Web site: The Group 1973. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  13. Web site: The Group 1974. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  14. Web site: The Group 1975. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  15. Web site: The Group 1976. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  16. Web site: The Group 1977. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  17. Web site: Artists exhibited with New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. findnzartists.org.nz. en. 19 October 2017.
  18. Book: Portrait of a Century: The History of the N.Z. Academy of Fine Arts, 1882–1982. Kay. Robin. Eden. Tony. Millwood Press. 1983. 0908582609.
  19. Web site: Ria Bancroft: Three Decades of Sculpture. Robert MacDougall Art Gallery. christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  20. Book: Simmons, Peggy. No Ordinary Woman: A Biography of Ria Bancroft. David Bateman Ltd. 1997. 1869533623.
  21. Web site: Rocking Horse Ride. www.nzmuseums.co.nz. en-gb. 19 October 2017.
  22. Web site: Resurrection Tabernacle screen doors (Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament). christchurchartgallery.org.nz. 19 October 2017.
  23. Book: Crighton, Anna. English, Colonial, Modern and Maori: The Changing Faces of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1932–2002. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2014. 978-1443871693.
  24. Web site: Ria Bancroft and Pat Mulcahy, Energetic Forms – Sculpture Trail – University of Canterbury. www.canterbury.ac.nz. 19 October 2017.

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