Nick Bibby

British, born 1960

Nick Bibby’s sculpture is imbued with such life and character. His affection for his chosen subjects shines out for all to see. Fascinated by both form and detail he models with a fluidity and energy that few can equal, simultaneously and effortlessly combining that energy with a jewel-like attention to detail, resulting in sculptures that look as though they live and breathe. Bibby’s sculptures are both beautiful works of art and loving portraits, be they bird, animal, or human, with subjects ranging from small to monumental.

Largely self-taught; Nick Bibby has always had an abiding love of nature and the natural world and this, in combination with his interests in anatomy, zoology and palaeontology, are what drive his work. Using copious references, either from life or literature, he builds up a fluid mental image of the finished sculpture which goes straight into his construction of the armature forming the skeleton of the piece, beginning its life in three dimensions.

In 1999 Nick Bibby was asked to sculpt life-size, scientifically accurate, bronzes of a dozen extinct birds and animals from the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion, including the most famous extinction of all – the Dodo. One of Nick’s most enjoyable commissions, “Bones to Bronze” was sculpted in close partnership with naturalists and palaeontologists from the region. The sculptures were created to raise awareness of the species lost and the species we continue to lose, whilst also raising funds toward continued conservation work on the islands through their sale. A complete collection is on permanent exhibition on the island of Ile aux Aigrettes, just off the coast of Mauritius, and a ‘Bibby’ Dodo is on permanent exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford. This Dodo has even had a children’s book written about him!

Nick Bibby’s wildlife subjects continue to be the mainstay of his collection, but in recent years his sculptures of “British Champion Animals”, inspired by the works of the same name, sculpted by Herbert Haseltine eighty years earlier, has brought further recognition and praise. Leading to a commission from the prestigious Ivy League University, Brown, to sculpt a monumental, life-size, Kodiak Brown Bear (the university’s mascot) to stand outside their new Nelson Fitness Centre, in Providence, Rhode Island. Called “Indomitable”, the fifteen-foot bear was installed late in 2013 to a very warm and enthusiastic welcome, for both artist and sculpture.

More recently, Bibby has fulfilled commissions, for a small, but very characterful Indian Rhino, also to go to Rhode Island, and a nearly seven-foot heroic torso study of the Greek god, Apollo, for a private client in the UK. Nick continues to work on new models of wildlife pieces.

Nick Bibby lives and sculpts in Devon, a county he loves, and one which provides constant inspiration, from its rolling green fields, its many rivers and woodlands and high moors, to its stunning coastline.