Before that Geoffrey had been sculpting small, tight bronzes which were bought by Garrard's and Asprey's for casting in precious metals. The Mallard, therefore, was a complete departure with only the primary feathers sculpted -- a much looser piece altogether than its predecessors.

How the work has changed over the two decades since. Today, the work is all about form. Geoffrey is a master of his art. He is not a wildlife sculptor -- he is an artist who happens to use birds as a means of expressing his art. Remove the head and the feet from any of his pieces and you are left with an abstract form and, yet, each complete work captures the very essence of the bird which it portrays.

The subtlety of such minimalism is only achieved by painstaking attention to detail, an intimate knowledge of his subjects, combined with a gift that cannot be learnt -- genius. I do not use the word lightly -- Dashwood is the best at what he does. His talent is acknowledged worldwide and my admiration for what he has achieved is unbounded.

This is our first solo show of Geoffrey's work for nearly six years. The work is stunning and I regard this exhibition as one of the most important that the gallery has staged in the last 20 years. The opportunity to visit the artist's wonderful studio and gallery, and to view his monumentals in the garden makes the occasion even more poignant -- an occasion not to be missed by any serious lover of sculpture.

Ian Courcoux

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