The statue of “Icarus” (1973) by Michael Ayrton (1921-1975)
was erected here in memory of Bernard Sunley (1910-1964).
Bernard was a powerful entrepreneur and a generous
benefactor. His legacy was the
establishment of the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation (1960) which
continues to provide donations to medical and educational establishments with
an emphasis on the young, disadvantaged or elderly. Over the past 60 years it has donated over
£100 million pounds to thousands of charities.
The Greek myth of Icarus tells how he and his father
Daedalus hatched a plan to escape from Crete by creating wings made of feathers
and wax. Despite his father’s warnings,
Icarus flew too high causing the wax to melt and plunging him to his
death.
The sculptor has used Icarus as the theme for a variety of
his works. He had been on a trip to
Italy, and the Greek legends sparked an interest in Icarus’s story. He sculpted
“Icarus Transformed” (1961) now owned by the Tate Gallery, and “Icarus Rising”
(1961), and “Icarus Pierced Relief” (1961) He also painted “Icarus Falls” and “Icarus
drowned” (1960).
This is an excerpt from the FREE tour St Paul's Precincts found on www.obelisktours.co.uk
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