Information About

Tissa Ranasinghe




his work in bronze. Born in the village of Yogiyana, he studied art
at the College of Fine Arts, [[Colombo[[, in 1949, the year it was
opened in the enthusiastic flowering of Ceylonese culture that
followed the country's independence. After earning a diploma in
1952 he continued his studies at Britain's Chelsea School of Art
and then the Royal College Of Art , receiving a certificate in bronze
casting.

He exhibited in a number of important shows, including "2,500
Years of Buddhist Art" at the French Institute, London, marking the
worldwide anniversary of
Buddhism in 1956. He also received a number of awards, including
the first Unesco Fellowship allocated to Sri Lanka under the Creative
Artists Scheme. Returning to his homeland,
he served as a visiting lecturerat the College of Fine Arts, taught at the
Institute of Practical
Technology, Katubedda, and in 1970-71 was principal of
what was by then the Government College of Art and Art Crafts, Colombo.
Returning to Britain, he taught at the Royal College of Art and established
a studio in southwest London, where he continues to be based.

One critic maintains that Ranasinghe
"initiated a style of sculpture equivalent to Alberto Giacometti ", with
works that draw on ancient religion and mythology as well as
down-to-earth modern realism. His
works have been exhibited around the world, perhaps most strikingly
in a solo exhibition, "Vision of the Buddha, Vision of the Gods", at
the National Gallery Of Thailand , Bangkok. His work is in public
collections in Britain, Sweden, and of course Sri Lanka, where he
has done statues of three prime ministers and at least one
Governor-General .