Paul Beadle

Paul John Beadle (25 November 1917 – 28 December 1992) was a New Zealand sculptor and medallist.

Early life and training Born in Hungerford, Berkshire, England in 1917, Beadle studied cabinetmaking and building construction at Cambridge Art School for two years before going on to the London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts. He also studied privately under sculptor and carver Alfred Southwick.

World War II When World War II began, Beadle enlisted in the Royal Navy (1940), and served with the Home Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet until 1943.

In 1961 he moved to Auckland to become Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. He was the foundation president of the New Zealand Society of Sculptors and Associates in Auckland in 1962. He was also a Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, president of the New Zealand Society of Industrial Designers (NZSID) from 1962 to 1963 and vice-president of the Design Association of New Zealand (DANZ) from 1963.

Beadle's sculptural work drew upon influences from the Hallstatt Culture of the early Iron Age, West African Ashanti bronzes and combined these with references to life in modern New Zealand. According to art historian Mark Stocker, Beadle was "New Zealand's foremost internationally recognised medal maker." His work is included in the collections of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Australian National Gallery and the state galleries of Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. University of Auckland offers the Paul Beadle Scholarship annually for postgraduate students at Elam School of Art.