This Is Your Life: Arthur Dooley

Arthur DOOLEY (1929-1994)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Arthur Dooley, artist and sculptor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews outside the House of Commons, having been led to believe he was there for a meeting about an upcoming exhibition.

Arthur, who was born in Liverpool, worked as an apprentice welder in Birkenhead before enlisting in the Irish Guards. After leaving the army, he found work as a cleaner at Saint Martin's School of Art in London, where, using the knowledge he had gained as a shipyard welder, he first began sculpting, using scraps of metal discarded by the students.

He later returned to Liverpool, where he established his own studio and continued to sculpt, specialising in religious works. His first exhibition in 1961 led to various commissions, notably that of the Stations of the Cross for the New Church, Leyland in Lancashire, while his first London exhibition a year later led to a television appearance on the BBC's Tonight programme, which brought him national acclaim.

"You're kidding!"

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