Alan Somerville

From the age of six it was obvious to those around him that Alan Somerville had a unique gift for things artistic. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, his intensely skillful work had many claiming he was a genius. However, his love of the land led him to farming which occupied him for some thirty years. He continued to paint and sketch.

Somerville then decided to take up his artistic pursuits full time and gravitated to sculpture, the perfect medium to explore movement, energy and emotion, things that were of great importance in his work.

He moved to Sydney in 1988 and became an Australian citizen. He is now established as the leading light in working in bronze with many public works both in Australia and overseas. Alan Somerville now has an impressive body of works and is still receiving commissions for major works. There is no doubt Alan’s legacy to Sydney will rival that of Michelangelo in Rome and Florence and Rodin in Paris and his public work remain a solid and emotive record of culture and art in Sydney.

Somerville has won many prizes for his work with James Deas, who judged one competition noting "this outstanding work with its shimmering impressionistic surface outrageously pushes the principles of the great Rodin into the 21st century".

"Lest We Forget" is a 30cm high hand cast, limited edition bronze statue created by Alan Somerville, the New Zealand born artist behind many of Australias finest public sculptures.