Michael James Talbot

Michael James Talbot is a British Sculptor. Born in Staffordshire in Northern England in 1959, Michael completed his BA Honours Degree in Sculpture before receiving a scholarship in 1980 for Postgraduate study at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. Michael continued his studies at The Sir Henry Doulton Sculpture School under Colin Melbourne ARCA and the courageous Dame Elizabeth Frink RA.

Michael’s Inspiration & Practice

Inspired by Greek mythology, Venetian masquerades and the poesie of the human form, Michael uses wax, clay and bronze to translate timeless human narratives into figurative artwork. Through a delicate synchrony of form, tension and balance, Michael transforms his vision of live models into patinated and polished sculptures. The artist contrasts the impermanence of time and being as expressed by his dynamic deities and fascinating figures with the permanence and rigidity of bronze cast; seeking connections rather than differences with our ancestors from long ago.

Awards & Collections

Michael won the acclaimed Landseer Prize in 1983. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1997 and later chosen to be a member of the National Sculpture Society (USA) in 2012. Critically acclaimed collaborations include working alongside The Royal Ballet in 2014 on a project which sought to create a dialogue between realistic sculpture and dance. Michael’s Emergent and Classical collections have been met with equal ovation.