Sophie Dickens is a contemporary British sculptor. Her exuberant, instantly recognisable sculptures have graced cathedrals and enlivened skylines from London to Los Angeles. Brought together by energy and wit, her body of work is expansive and restless, covering a wide range of abstract and figurative subjects, classical and de-pedestals, herd and pack installations, athletes, gods and lovers.
Having obtained a degree in art history at the Courtauld Institute in London, Sophie Dickens studied the practicalities of making figurative sculpture at the Sir John Cass School of Art and the anatomy department at University College London. Her distinctive style comes from her technique of constructing figures from abstract geometric shapes of curved wood and attaching them to an armature to create a flowing, muscular form. She was the first winner of the Founders' Prize for figurative sculpture in 2007 with a work entitled The TurningMan. Loosely based on Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, this gravity-defying sculpture was exhibited at the V&A, London. Notable pieces include a 3m stainless steel Minotaur for an apartment in San Francisco (also exhibited at the first Masterpiece Art Fair in London in 2010). Matthew, Mark, Luke and John' - a traveling installation of winged beasts installed in several London churches and cathedrals in 2011. Sports pieces include a large bronze judo throw for the London 2012 Olympics and a sequence based on Rafael Nadal's tennis serve. In 2016 a large bronze carriage horse was commissioned for the lobby of The Principal Hotel in Manchester and a diver for the champagne bar of the Connaught Hotel in London.
She lives and works in Liguria, with her husband and various animals.