Biography

English sculptor. He studied painting for a short time at the Antwerp Academy in 1870. He decided to take up sculpture while studying under Michael Wagmüller (1839-1881) at Munich in 1871-74. On his return to London he exhibited annually at the Royal Academy from 1875, and at the Grosvenor Gallery from 1879.

Ford produced at first portrait busts and statues, after 1884 chiefly symbolical figures. He made the bronze monument to General Gordon at Chatham 1889-90, the Shelley Memorial at University College, Oxford, 1892, and the colossal figure of Queen Victoria for Manchester 1901. Other works include: "Irving as Hamlet", 1883; series of bronze statuettes (including "Folly"), 1886. He adopted polychromy and was one of the leaders with Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934) and Hamo Thornycroft (1850-1925) of the New Sculpture.

He became Associate Member of the Royal Academy (A.R.A.) in 1888 and Royal Academician (R.A.) in 1895).