1941 -

Sculptor. Born at Corsham (Wilts), he studied at the West of England College of Art, Bristol and later became a member of the Royal West of England Academy. He taught sculpture in Bristol, but then established a studio in Spain, where he developed a reputation for portrait sculpture. In 1971 he was in Luxembourg working on portraits of Prince Charles of Luxembourg and his family. In 1972 he was working in bronze foundries in Rome and Florence, and in 1974 was commissioned to produce a bust of the conductor, Sir Colin Davis, for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. After his return to Britain, a retrospective exhibition of his work was held in 1981, in the Orangery, Holland Park. In his modelling of animals and the human figure, or of both in conjunction, Backhouse was influenced by the economic modelling of Giacomo Manzu. Other influences were Reg Butler and Elisabeth Frink. Public commissions include a Cloaked Horseman for St Bartholomew’s in Bristol City Centre and a Pilgrim for the Bishop’s Palace Garden, Wells. His largest commission however has been the Memorial to Animals in War (2004), for Park Lane, London. Sources: Buckman, (2006); David Backhouse – sculpture, (exh. cat.) Sladmore Gallery, London, April-May 2005.