Bicentenary Statue of the Young Charles DarwinFor Christ's College CambridgeAnthony was commissioned by Christ's College Cambridge to sculpt a life-sized bronze statue of the young Charles Darwin. The statue was unveiled by HRH Prince Philip on the bicentenary of Darwin's birth on February 12th 2009. "I have been fascinated by evolution ever since first reading The Origin of Species when I was sixteen. It was the major trigger for my interest in zoology, which eventually led to me reading zoology at Darwin's alma mater – Christ's College Cambridge. I find Darwin's life a fascinating topic. There have been many biographies of Darwin, but I have found those by Janet Brown and David Quammen to be particularly compelling. The statue captures Darwin in his final year at Cambridge (1831) - he is on the cusp of a world-changing moment in his life. Six months later he was on board HMS Beagle on the trip that led to him developing his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. I would like people to think about Darwin afresh when they see the statue. The public perception of him is as an old man with a beard, but he was, by all accounts, an energetic and life-loving student who did much of his great work in his early years. And it was in Cambridge that many of his interests and fascinations, which eventually led to great discoveries, were nurtured." - Anthony Smith
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Photos of unveiling |