William Turnbull

William Turnbull

Having left school in 1937, Turnbull took jobs as a labourer, attending evening art classes at Dundee University. He worked in the illustration department of D C Thompson, a periodical company from 1939 to1941 when he was drafted into the Royal Air Force as a pilot. In 1946 he joined the Painting Department of the Slade School of Fine Art, but changed to the Sculpture Department. A great traveller, Turnbull visited countries in the Far East and the Tropics, looking at the art and architecture of cultures, which inspired his work. He taught part-time at the Central School of Arts and Crafts 1964–72.