Hannah Phillip, Programme Director for the Grinling Gibbons National Tercentenary 2021, will kick off our Spring series of Tuesday Talks, which will use Gibbon’s work as a focal point for exploring craft and conservation from a range of perspectives.

Grinling Gibbons, legendary artist, sculptor, craftsman, and the greatest carver in British history died on 3 August 1721. Over the past 300 years, he has inspired craftsmanship and carving from his contemporaries to modern-day makers.

Gibbons is a potent symbol of inspiration and achievement. He carved with an unsurpassed realism that could literally fool the eye. His name is synonymous with ‘the best’. John Evelyn celebrated Gibbons as ‘stupendous and beyond all description… the incomparable carving of our Gibbons, who is without controversy the greatest master both for innovation and rareness of work that the world ever had in any age’.

In the 300th year of Gibbons’ death, a national festival will celebrate his life, inspiration and legacy. Hannah Phillip explores how this is an important opportunity to get to grips with the man, the mythology and how he still connects with Britain today.

She will give an introduction to what took Gibbons from being an obscure carver from Rotterdam to the most illustrious Carver to the King. She will also explore how Grinling Gibbons 300 is bringing together collections across the UK, and providing a focal point for conservation, collaborative projects, research and making.

Following Hannah’s talk, Dr Helen Rawson will provide an overview of Gibbon’s monuments in York Minster, and the exhibition and events that the Minster will be running, as part of Grinling Gibbons 300.

Hannah and Helen’s talks will be followed by a Q&A session chaired by Martin Stancliffe. Participants will be able to raise questions for discussion, and are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time, by emailing info@conservationyork.org.uk.