Tom Merrifield
BORN
Tom Merrifield was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1932. He died in 2021.
EARLY LIFE
From a young age, Tom trained as a classical dancer, developing a lifelong connection to movement and performance. His early career included stage, television, and film work, and it was during this time that he began sketching fellow dancers. He moved from Australia to Britain in 1956 and spent much of his life based in Hampstead, London, where he maintained a long-standing studio practice.
CAREER:
Tom began his professional life as a dancer, performing as a principal dancer in Cinderella at the London Coliseum. After a cartilage operation made dancing increasingly difficult, he transitioned into sculpture. By 1972 he was working full time as a sculptor, exhibiting widely in London’s West End galleries. He also received major commissions, including a bust of Diana, Princess of Wales for the British Red Cross. Throughout his career, he also worked across drawing and painting, maintaining a multidisciplinary practice.
MATERIALS:
He worked primarily in bronze, alongside drawing and painting media.
STYLE AND SUBJECTS:
Tom’s work is rooted in movement, anatomy, and performance. He worked from life, often sketching and modelling dancers in his Hampstead studio. His sculptures capture the dynamism and discipline of dance, shaped by his own experience as a performer. He is known for sculpting many leading dancers, including Anton Dolin, Alicia Markova, and Wayne Sleep.
AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS:
From the 1970s onwards, Tom exhibited widely in West End galleries and became established as a leading sculptor of dancers and figurative performance subjects.
Tom Merrifield sculptures are available from the sculpture park.
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Bronze £1,200 inc VATTabletop Bronze Figure Skate Sculpture – John Curry by Tom Merrifield (Artist Copy)
John Curry by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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Bronze £36,000 inc VATLarge Figurative Bronze Ballerina Sculpture – Poppy by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 9)
Poppy by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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All Sculpture £42,000 inc VATLarge Bronze Nude Male Torso Sculpture – Julius Torso by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 9)
Julius Torso by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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All Sculpture £120,000 inc VATMonumental Bronze and Stone Figurative Gladiator Sculpture – Spartacus by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 9)
Spartacus by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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All Sculpture £240,000 inc VATMonumental Figurative Female Ballet Leap Outdoor Sculpture – Flight by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 5)
Flight by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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Bronze £48,000 inc VATLarge Bronze Figurative Female Nude Dancer Sculpture – Valentine by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 2)
Valentine by Tom Merrifield, Bronze
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All Sculpture £58,000 inc VATLifesize Bronze Figurative Nude Female Dancer Sculpture – La Donna by Tom Merrifield (Edition of 9)
La Donna by Tom Merrifield, Bronze