David Gilbert

Epithet: Artist

Biography: David Gilbert was an artist who passionately believed everyone could be creative and helped many to discover their own creativity. This was a thread that ran throughout his artistic life and in particular during the time that he lived on the Isle of Man during the 1970s and 1980s. David Gilbert lived at the Bishops Demesne Farm at Ballaugh with his wife Sheila, and their family, where they had their own smallholding and grew their own food. In many ways David Gilbert wasn’t the typical artist, he was a Cambridge graduate of English, fascinated by philosophy and literature and a self-taught sculptor and artist who worked predominantly in wood and who rarely exhibited his work. He dedicated an immense amount of his time to creating large works of art but also taught at the Island’s college and on his farm, as well as working with the local Manx art community. In all these ventures, David Gilbert was a person who inspired others to be creative.

Gilbert's last exhibition in his lifetime at the Manx Museum was staged in 1989-1990 and named 'In the Presence of ...' Three drawings from this exhibition were purchased by Manx National Heritage.

Gilbert died on 13 July 2016 aged 87.

A retrospective exhibition at the Manx Museum in 2018 called ‘Crossing Open Ground’ was staged in conjunction with the Sayle Gallery, Douglas.

Occupation / profession: artist

Gender: Male

Date of death: 13 July 2016

Name Variant: Gilbert, David, Mr

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