In 1975 Elisabeth Frink was commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall to sculpt a portrait bust of the eminent English composer Sir William Walton. This fine and scarce bronze was cast in an edition of only nine, this being number four. At least three of the other copies are in public collections namely:
The Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London
Gallery Oldham, Lancashire (Walton was born in Oldham)
Christ Church College, Oxford (presented to their new art gallery in March 1976)
Frink produced relatively few portrait bronzes of which the best known are probably those of Sir Alec Guinness and Walton, the latter being the last modelled at her Buckingham Gate studio before she moved to Dorset in 1977. Frink herself said of this work and the composer, William Walton was equally fascinating to do. I got on very well with him and he was extremely witty about other people – very witty, sharp. He talked about the Sitwells. About other composers – things in the past. His brain was extremely sharp.
