Albert Toft
| Albert Toft | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 June 1862 Handsworth, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 18 December 1949 (aged 87) Worthing, Sussex, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | South Kensington Schools |
| Occupation | sculptor |
Albert Toft (Birmingham 3 June 1862 – 18 December 1949 Worthing, Sussex) was an English sculptor. His brother was the landscape artist Joseph Alfonso Toft.
His parents were Charles Toft (1832–1909) and Rosanna Reevesborn, and he was born in Handsworth, then in Staffordshire, and now a suburb of Birmingham. He trained in Wedgwood's pottery and in 1881 won a scholarship to study sculpture at the South Kensington Schools under Professor Édouard Lantéri. He received silver medals in his second and third years. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes Toft as one of the major figures of "New Sculpture" following on from William Hamo Thornycroft and George Frampton. Toft described his work as 'Idealist' but he also said of himself that "to become an idealist you must necessarily first be a realist."
From 1885 onwards Toft exhibited at the Royal Academy and some of his most notable works exhibited at the Royal Academy included 'Fate-Led' (1890), 'The Sere and Yellow Leaf' (1892), 'Spring' (1897), 'The Spirit of Contemplation' (1901) and 'The Metal Pourer' (1915). In 1915 his sculpture 'The Bather' was purchased using the Royal Academy's Chantrey Fund. In 1900 Toft received a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
In 1891 Toft was elected to the Art Workers Guild and in 1938 he was elected a fellow to the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
"IN HONOUR OF THE MEN OF CHADDERTON WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE AND IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF ALL WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR FOR FREEDOM 1914-1919"
"IN/ MEMORIAM/ 1914-1919/ A RECORD OF THOSE MEMBERS/ OF THE STAFF OF THE/LONDON JOINT CITY & MIDLAND BANK/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ (NAMES)" inscription
"1939 - 1945 / OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF SORROW AND SACRIFICE / WILL BE BORN AGAIN THE GLORY OF MANKIND / (NAMES)" inscription
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TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN OF BENENDEN/ WHO FOUGHT AND DIED FOR JUSTICE/ AND LIBERTY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919/ "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE" inscription
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