Giles Penny b. 1962

Born in 1962, Giles Penny trained at The Heatherly School of Fine Art, London; Bournemouth & Poole College of Art and Design and Newport College of Art. Penny was artist in residence for The Body Shop in the mid 1990s. In 2017 he was elected as an Academician to the Royal West of England Academy.

Penny trained in painting and printmaking as well as sculpture. His instantly recognisable works focus on the human form, which he simplifies and abstracts, creating characterful yet elusive figures as he explores the interaction between physical and abstract worlds. His popularity is far reaching: Felicity Green, the British fashion journalist chose his sculpture as her luxury item on Desert Island Discs.

Penny has exhibited widely in the UK. His large-scale sculptures can been seen in many public collections including Rise and Shine commissioned for the BBC in 2009; Two Men on a Bench at Canary Wharf and Man and Arch at Fulham Reach. Further examples can be found at Lyminster Church, Sussex; Wolverhampton City Centre; Portishead Quays, Bristol and Bruton, Somerset.