Stuart says “This piece is not particularly big but is, in my opinion, one of the Williamson’s best pieces. The more I find out about Arthur Dooley, the more interested I have become. Liverpool sculptor, socialist and controversial person, much underrated. Maybe it should be recognised more.”
Arthur Dooley (1929-1994) worked at Cammell Laird shipyard before 1945, when he was enlisted in the Irish Guards and served for nine years. He became a student at St Martin’s School of Art in 1953, having worked there are a cleaner, and later returned to Liverpool to establish his own studio. Other works by Dooley include Prince’s Park Methodist Church’s Black Christ and Glasgow’s La Pasionaria. Dooley is recognised as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century.