One of Northern Ireland’s most influential and successful sculptors, F.E. McWilliam (1909 - 1992) worked chiefly in stone, wood and bronze. Studying first at Belfast College of Art, in 1928 McWilliam continued his education at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Originally intending to become a painter, McWilliam was influenced by A.H. Gerrard, Head of Sculpture at the Slade, and Henry Moore, whom he met there, and turned to sculpture.

His early wood carving works were influenced by primitive art, in particular by African Art. From 1936 onwards, his works gradually became more influenced by Surrealism and he was loosely associated with the British Surrealist movement. McWilliam was interested in the interplay between solid volume and surrounding space, and how the viewer completes the 'missing' parts of the sculpture in the mind's eye.

McWilliam’s work is held in major public collections across the world including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Art Institute Chicago; Government Art Collection, London; Tate, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London: British Museum, London and Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge, McWilliam’s place of birth, is dedicated to his memory and shows a permanent collection of his work. He is remembered as one of Ireland’s most influential and successful artists.

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