Mary Syme Boyd

Mary Syme Boyd (15 August 1910 – 30 October 1997) was a Scottish artist and sculptor who studied at the Edinburgh College of Art from 1929 to 1933. She became known for her animal sculptures and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) and the Royal Glasgow Institute (RGI).

Early life and education Mary Syme Boyd was born in Edinburgh in 1910. Her mother was Clara Constance Lepper (1875-1961) of Co.Antrim. Her father was Francis Darby Boyd (1866-1922), Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

She attended the Edinburgh College of Art from 1929 to 1933. There she had access to a small animal menagerie where students were encouraged to make life studies. Boyd's fascination with animals went on to become the primary subject matter throughout her career. Boyd bequeathed Kestrel to the National Galleries of Scotland as representative of her life's work. "Bird sculptures often took the form of an outstretched-winged hunting bird on a rocky outcrop, usually with a tiny victim writhing in its claws, or in territorial combat with another bird. Boyd's Kestrel, however, eschews these narrative orthodoxies and aligns instead with modernist principles, choosing to depict this bird as a benign creature. Carved from wood, Kestrel's simple lines and unadorned surface serve to illustrate that Boyd was aware of modernist discourse involving 'truth to materials', espoused by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth at this time." Included in the bequest were two additional sculptures: one by Elizabeth Dempster and one by Georg Kolbe.