Troubles sculpture sells for £37k

A sculpture depicting a female bomb victim of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has sold for £37,000 to a Welsh collector.

The piece, by acclaimed sculptor Frederick Edward McWilliam, was expected to achieve between £25,000 and £30,000 at auction in Shropshire.

The County Down-born sculptor, known for his work depicting conflict in the province, made the piece as part of a series called "Women of Belfast".

"I am delighted that the sculpture has achieved such a good price for the vendor and that she is going to a new home in Wales," Abigail Molenaar, from Halls Fine Art, Shrewsbury, said.

Mr McWilliam, external, who died in 1992 aged 83, was said to have been heavily influenced by childhood memories of violent clashes in his hometown.

These included seeing his own father treat a young child who was shot in crossfire, auctioneers said.

His career took him to London where he spent most of his adult life but some of his most acclaimed works focused on his reactions to events during the Troubles.

The "Women of Belfast" sculptures, created in the 1970s, were inspired by the victims of a bombing at the Abercorn Restaurant in Belfast in March 1972.

Ms Molenaar said “The figure we sold portrays a woman fighting to remain standing, her head bowed, limbs at unnatural angles and her clothing blown forcefully backwards by the sheer force of the explosion.

“The significance of these sculptures is no less poignant today, exemplifying the innumerable innocents caught up in modern conflicts worldwide."

Both the seller, described as a Midlands art collector, and the Welsh buyer declined to reveal their identities.

The winning bidder in Wednesday's auction saw off rivals from Ireland and Italy to secure the purchase, the auctioneers said.