Name Benjamin Clemens | Died 1957 | |
Setting Sons statue
Benjamin Clemens (1875–1957) was a 20th-century sculptor based in London. He was educated at Lonsbury College before going on to study art at the North London School of Art and the Royal College of Art. After his studies at the Royal College of Art he was appointed Assistant Master under Professor Édouard Lantéri. He was appointed an honorary member of the Royal Society of British sculptors in 1946. His works can be seen at Africa House, Kingsway; the Headquarters of the Mothers' Union; Nottingham County Hall; St Paul's Vicarage Gate, Kensington and Westminster Abbey to name but a few. Other famous commissions include works for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and the Wembley exhibition. His Works during his life were exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art regularly as well as all over the world including Paris, Rome, Brussels and the United States.
His 1958 obituary published in The Times written by one of his students, Gilbert Ledward OBE, talked of how Clemens sacrificed his own career in order to teach, "his own career was sacrificed in order to teach and he never received the recognition he deserved".
His sculpture 'The St John's Ambulance Bearers' is used on the album cover of The Jam's 1979 album Setting Sons, and is held in the Imperial War Museum permanent collection in London.