Simmonds, who originally comes from Britain, studied art history before turning to illustration and later stone carving; as a stone carver he has worked on the restoration of several major English national monuments, including Westminster Abbey and the cathedrals of Salisbury and Ely. It therefore comes as no surprise that his work is inspired mainly by sacred buildings such as baroque basilicas and Ancient Roman temples. After honing his skills in fine classical marble ornament carving in Pietrasanta, Italy, Simmonds gained international recognition as a sculptor, exhibiting his work internationally, while his sculptures are now part of prominent private collections around the world.

In architecture in general, particularly the elaborate and monumental interiors of religious buildings,  materials (a stone becomes a flower, a hand, a bird) are transformed and seem to defy the laws of physics as they rise high up in colonnades and majestic domes. Every work of architecture is a victory over Nature and a celebration of Man’s skill and ingenuity. In the sculpture of Matthew Simmonds however, this principle is reversed: Nature overpowers architecture, as if it encases or envelops it: the pristine and elaborate interiors seen in Simmonds’ work are like fossils of buildings, trapped inside the rock into which they have been carved, thus diminishing their otherwise grand and humbling character. This thought-provoking inversion – the building is in the stone and not the other way round – creates a breathtaking shift of perspective, which adds to the otherwise perfectly executed and masterfully composed creations.

One of Simmonds’ more recent works, in a truly unique chimney piece, for a private residence outside Edinburgh, uniquely combines the classical beauty and fine craftsmanship of marble sculpture with contemporary symbols and imagery. The chimney piece was created in close collaboration with the clients, who wanted it to feature symbols that had a particular meaning to them and their family. As a result, Simmonds has carved images of pets, landmarks in Edinburgh, the zodiac signs of the family, as well as other images such as the electric guitar selected by the children and a tall and slender urn draped with a piece of fabric that pays tribute to the family’s ancestors.

{YatzerTip} Matthew Simmonds is participating in the sculpture exhibition 'on form 14', an exhibition dedicated to stone sculptures (08 June-06 July 2014). The exhibition is taking place at Asthall Manor, Burford, Oxfordshire, which is about half an hour's drive west of Oxford, UK. Tel: 01993 824319.