Bernard Meadows found in birds and crabs a powerful way to break free from the overwhelming influence of his mentor, Henry Moore. By using non-human subjects as substitutes for the human form, Meadows discovered he could find expression – including vulnerability, violence and direct statements – without being restricted by traditional figurative art history.

This dramatic sculpture captures a bird falling to earth, its form shattered and metamorphosing from an animal into a gun barrel. It embodies the ‘geometry of fear’ – a term coined by critic Herbert Read at the 1952 Venice Biennale to describe a new generation of post-war British sculptors. As Meadows noted of his work, these creatures were “human substitutes... vehicles, expressing my feelings about human beings”.

Meadows studied at the Norwich School of Art and worked closely with Henry Moore in the 1930s and 40s. After representing Britain in Venice, he became a highly influential Professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, where he inspired a generation of artists, including Elisabeth Frink.

His work is held in many prestigious collections worldwide.