CORLETT, Peter
Peter Corlett at work on his Bronze of 'Pegasus'.
The outstanding bronze statue of the winged horse Pegasus in Helicon Place on the Senior School Campus was designed by noted sculptor Peter Corlett in 1995 and cast by the Meridian Foundry. Peter Corlette has been responsible for a number of large bronzes including, two very recent works - Cobbers depicting Sergeant Simon Fraser carrying an injured soldier at the battle of Fromelles in World War I and erected at the Victorian Shrine of Remembrance in 2008 and an Australian Light Horseman at the new Park of the Australian Soldier at Beersheba in Israel.
Born in Melbourne, Peter Corlett studied sculpture at RMIT from 1961 to 1964 and his work may be seen in many museums and galleries, including those of the Northern Territory and Victoria; the Australian War Memorial, Canberra; Parliament House, Canberra and overseas.
During the 1970s he was artist-in-residence at various institutions including Exeter University and Exeter College of Art and Darwin Community College. Notable among his work at the Australian War Memorial are his statue of John Simpson Kirkpatrick (Simpson and his donkey),1987; Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, 1995; 'The Man in the Mud', 1986; and They also Served, 1989. Peter was also responsible for the statue of Phar Lap at Flemington Race Course. Corlett has contributed many fine works to the landscape including Cobbers (Fromelles, 1998); Four Victorian Premiers (Treasury Place, Melbourne, 1999); C J La Trobe (State Library of Victoria forecourt, 2006); the Australian Light Horse Memorial (Be'er Sheva, Israel); and 'The Four Entertainers' at Docklands, Melbourne.
Peter Corlett 'studied Fine Art – Sculpture at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for 3 ½ years (early 1960’s) before choosing to discontinue study to work independently, focusing mainly on public and private commissions.'
Sources: Australian War Memorial; Statue to Celebrate Courage of Our Cobbers, The Age (Melb) 16 March 2008.