Memorial Page
David Martin Whipp
Artist
1943 - 2024
Early Life.
My Brother David
Martin Whipp was born on the 24th May 1943 in Brighton Sussex
Maternity Hospital.
He was the
youngest son of Frank and Jenny
(Jean) Whipp .
We were
both born during World War 2 and
raised in Brighton during the post war time rationing years.
With our father away serving in the R.A.F. as a Leading Aircraftman Ground
Gunner, our mother
Jean after being forced to move because of bomb
damage, found herself in a ground floor flat in
Buckingham
Road Brighton. It had a garden and
became a outlet for her boys to play and to raise
some chickens.
Before the war had ended, Jean and Frank separated so Jean as a single mum became a dressmaker
to support us.
"On an outing with Mum"
David’s
education when young was unsettling. Frequently placed in lower streams, he was
often truant from school.
He left school age 15 with no qualifications.
At one time in the early 1960s following associating with the wrong people he
found himself in Portland Young
Offender Institution.
Here he took an interest in Art and his courses included welding and soldering.
Meeting Lucy Wertheim
In
retrospect his experience at Portland was a life changing event that encouraged
him to take up painting and to work in metal full time.
At the age of 19 he married and became a father. His early years as a sculptor
developing his own style were a struggle.
He had an unquenchable thirst to create.
He took his ideas from life, recalling from memory exact details he observed,
always striving to achieve better, finer work. He was never satisfied with any
one piece.
Recognition of his talent started when he met and was later sponsored by
Lucy Wertheim art
gallery owner and patron.
Lucy with
her husband, ran galleries in London, Brighton and Derbyshire and was known for
encouraging many young artists and sculptors.
She encouraged David to show his art in various galleries. Lucy Wertheim's protégés included Henry Moore and Barbara
Hepworth. In the early 1960s she lent works to decorate the then-new and radical
University of Sussex at Brighton.
Mrs Wertheim considered David a remarkable artist and helped him a great deal
until her death aged 88 in Brighton in 1971.
c.1938, photograph by Lafayette
Woodstock Gallery Exhibition 1985
David’s
most famous early pieces include ‘The Suffragette`, (1968), the ‘Maria Colwell Statue’
(1974), and the ‘West Pier’
an18 ft. (5.5 mtrs) long sculpture of the doomed
Victorian Brighton pier for the then West Pier Preservation Society.
(The whereabouts today of this work remain unknown!)
Left : David Whipp's sculpture with R K Beaumont Secretary of the Maria Colwell Memorial Fund.
David became an increasingly well-respected
metal worker, making sculptures which
ranged in all sizes from models of birds, animals, vintage cars and motorbikes.
As an
artist in metal he was considered a creative genius. A lot of his
work was set in gallery exhibitions and many were bought by private collectors.
He had a stall at Green Park in London in
the 1980s. Every weekend he would travel up to London from Brighton in his Ford
van to sell
his sculptures to tourists.
(Photos courtesy of Bonham's & Wootton
Auctions)
Later Work
He was a
master at creating flowers in metal, especially roses destined to be decorated
around wall mirrors.
His
extensive contemporary work is
now in many galleries and private homes around the world.
In his
later years his sculptures, particularly his detailed models of pre and post war
racing cars, have been sought by foreign collectors.
Many of his works of art subsequently appear on Auction web sites.
His
exhibitions abroad were also very successful. In Bermuda all his
work exhibited were sold on the first day.
In 1986 the Director of racing of the
North American Championship ordered a model race car made by David to be
presented as the Annual Trophy for the new
Indy Car Series.
Two items at Bonham's Auction 13 Sep 2008 at
Beulieu and one at Wootton Auction 13 Dec 2021
(Photos courtesy of Bonham's & Wootton
Auctions)
"Steam Punk Motor Cycle" (Private collection)
David had
personality and character and travelled extensively.
He had a passion for all forms of antiques and was highly regarded locally for
his antique knowledge.
He owned many cars over the years. and was successful enough in later life to be able to purchase a
vintage Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.
When he was on a business trip to Johannesburg South Africa around 1995 he
was invited to a reception and met with Nelson Mandela.
His art was featured in many
Local and National Newspapers articles. He kept a catalogue of all his work
giving dates, sizes, etc.
For much of his life
David lived in Preston Road Brighton close to his workshop where he also
took on private restoration work.
Middle &
Right: Restoration piece; 'Echo' in Nubian dress by
Louis Hottot (French 1834-1905)
With partners Paula, Rosemary and Jenny, he was father to Ricardo, Lisa, Dion Salvador, Timothy and Natasha.
David had suffered in his latter years with the blood condition Myelodysplasia. After a short illness with other symptoms and with family members in attendance, David died at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on 17th January 2024. He was 80years of age.
Brian J Whipp 2025
