This maquette (1965) was destined to be a bronze.
The wonderful, talented and much loved artist and sculptor was Astrid Zydower(1930-2005)
Astrid Zydower MBE (born August 4, 1930 – died May 27, 2005) was a talented British sculptor. She created many amazing artworks, including large figures and busts of famous people. Her life story is also very inspiring, showing how she overcame challenges to become a celebrated artist.
Astrid was born in 1930 in a small village. This village was in Germany at the time, but it is now part of Poland. Her family was Jewish. During this period, Jewish people faced great danger from the Nazi government.
Because of this danger, Astrid and her two siblings had to leave their home. In 1939, they were evacuated to Britain travelling on the very last Kindertransport train. This special train helped Jewish children escape before World War II began. Sadly, Astrid’s parents could not leave Germany. They were later taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp and did not survive.
In England, the three Zydower children were cared for by a Quaker family, the Freemans, in Sheffield. At first, Astrid found school difficult because she couldn’t speak English. However, she soon showed a great talent for drawing.
This talent led her to study at the Sheffield School of Art. She then won a special scholarship. This allowed her to attend the famous Royal College of Art in London. From 1952 to 1957, she learned sculpture from well-known artists like Frank Dobson and John Skeaping. She also took drawing classes with Leon Underwood.
During the 1960s, Astrid taught art at the Hornsey School of Art in London. She also received many important sculpture jobs. Often, these sculptures were very large.
One of Astrid’s students at Hornsey was Shirley Ann Shepherd. She was married to Charlie Watts, the drummer for The Rolling Stones. This connection led to Astrid getting commissions from Charlie Watts and other band members. She made a bust of Ulysses for Charlie Watts. For Mick Jagger, she sculpted a head of Actaeon.
In 1970, she was asked to create a bronze bust of Dame Marie Rambert. Marie Rambert founded the Ballet Rambert. This led to a lasting friendship. Astrid also created several other sculptures of ballet dancers, including some from the New York City Ballet.