'Humanity' by Bruce Denny

Bruce Denny
Born in 1967 in Suffolk, England, Bruce Denny has always been fascinated by how things work. Following a successful career in the City of London, Bruce discovered a talent for sculpture. His love of the human form and function placed figurative works at the centre of his interest. Bruce's latest collection, Humanity, is on display at HSBC Private Bank's St James's Street office in London until the beginning of March 2008.

Bruce Denny spent his youth making things out of anything he could lay his hands on. He was fascinated by both the way things worked and their form and structure. His school years exacerbated the struggle between art and science. In the end, science was the victor, leading to an honours degree in biology and chemistry. He wanted to understand what life was all about from the molecular level up.

With this thorough grounding, he came to realise that the complexities of human physiology and anatomy play only a small role in the wider picture of life, and that social interaction was key to his further development.

He left the solitude of the laboratory behind for a job in the City of London, where the realities of modern day life were played out to the full.

While financially rewarding and socially engaging, Bruce felt that his creativity was being stifled. He turned to theatre and the arts to fill the void.

In his search, Bruce discovered sculpture. His love of the human form and function placed figurative works at the centre of his interest and he signed up for a course to introduce him to the techniques of life modelling in clay.

Finally he had found something to bring all his skills and experiences together.

'Introspection' is one of the 10 pieces within the Humanity collection.

“Sculpture requires a methodical approach and good spatial awareness, traits usually exhibited by a good scientist. At the same time the original ideas and concepts and the final piece of work require artistic creativity. I have found a medium in which I can express my ideas and desires utilising all my skills and experiences,” says Bruce.

In March 2006 he began work on his collection of figurative bronzes, which led to a successful private show at HSBC Private Bank’s St James’s Street office in 2007.

Bruce’s latest exhibition, Humanity, is about man’s obsession with his own self image. The human form has been at the centre of the majority of the most important art throughout history. The mechanics of the physical structure are fascinating and the emotions it can express are endless. Capturing that emotion in a static three dimensional form that evokes movement and life is an exciting challenge which, if executed successfully, results in a timeless piece of work that can be enjoyed through generations.

In this exhibition, 10 new works joined the existing HSBC collection for two months prior to being shown as Bruce’s first solo public exhibition at the Albemarle Gallery, London, SW1, from 6 March to 5 April 2008. The sculptures are available for purchase. For more information, visit the Bruce Denny website.

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