'Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse' 1966

'Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse' 1966 a unique bronze sculpture in opaque verdigris ~ dark green finish/patination by Catharni Stern (1925-2005) on a green and black marble plinth with gallery label to verso of plinth: John Wibley Gallery, George Street/Baker Street 1966. The John Whibley Gallery was an art gallery in London and was at its peak in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was initially located at 60 George Street but relocated to 22 Cork Street where it functioned up until 1973. This abstracted piece, created in 1966, is so ahead of its time, a powerful and haunting work.  

Catharni Stern studied a one year A.T.D. course at London University Institute of Education. Then there came a turning point in Catharni Stern's career when in 1960 she left her teaching job at Bournemouth and applied for and was appointed to a post as part-time Tutor at Bournemouth College of Art. She was then able to devote her energies to the production of sculpture. Shortly thereafter she was offered a full-time post at Saint Martin's School of Art in London but declined, preferring instead to continue part-time teaching there and at Southend School of Art. She was active in producing sculpture, paintings, and other graphic media. Her style was mainly modernist but also realism and her works were, prodominately created for private collectors.

During the holidays Catharni Stern devoted all her energies to sculpture in an old stable block which she used as a studio. It was tucked away behind Market Hill in her hometown of Malden Essex. From 1955 to 1960, she produced a great deal of work together with reworking pieces that were in her studio collection. With regard to the use of media she did rather less carving and more use of clay. 

Exhibitions:                                                                                                                                                                                                                        A collection of small bronzes which she had accumulated formed the basis of her first and subsequent exhibitions in London at the Whibley Gallery. Her first London one-man show was in 1962 and she exhibited with Whibley at approximately two year internals until the gallery closed in 1975. Her last major exhibition was in 1994 though a retrospective exhibition was conducted at Chelmsfor d Museum in 2006.