back to sculpture
Bas relief 1924 cast plaster. Made when Murch was a student of Rayner Hoff at the National Art School
The Society of Artists’ travelling art scholarship entry 1925. Murch won the scholarship
After completing his Travelling Art Scholarship in Europe and the UK, Murch returned to Sydney, Australia and became an assistant to George Lambert between 1927 – 1930. During this time Lambert and his sculpture team worked on the Geelong Grammar School War Memorial, the Fallen Soldier and the Henry Lawson statue. Murch wrote about his experiences as assistant to Lambert: “In his Randwick Hospital studio Lambert was a Renaissance Master, a Verrocchio, a Leonardo. “I am the last of the masters” he told the 25-year-old Murch, “pick my brains while you can”. Lambert employed Arthur Murch for two days a week to scale up the figure of Henry Lawson from a 20-inch plasticine model to 8ft. The figure was central to the Henry Lawson memorial commissioned for the Domain. He also employed him to assist in the modelling of the recumbent figure of the Fallen Soldier, for St Mary’s cathedral, and placed Murch’s name with his on the base of the completed bronze. See the Harold Cazneaux photograph of Murch and Lambert working on the Fallen soldier sculpture held in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia.
The fallen soldier memorial 1931 bronze St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney. Murch worked on this sculpture with George Lambert who died in 1930
Geelong Grammar School War Memorial 1923-27 bronze by George Lambert. Murch was an assistant to George Lambert from 1927
Henry Lawson Memorial 1930 by George Lambert. Murch worked on the sculpture with Lambert
Murch working on the figure of Henry Lawson in the Randwick studio of George Lambert
Randwick studio of George Lambert 1927. L-R Edmund Harvey, Sten Snekkar, George Lambert, Arthur Murch. Sculpture of Henry Lawson Memorial in the background
Murch working on the Thorburn Brailsford Robertson Memorial in 1931. Memorial is in the University of Adelaide
Bas relief c1930 cast plaster
The golden ram 1938 Empire Exhibition, Australian wool pavilion
Nellie Melba Memorial 1941 cast aluminium & nickel 6′ wide Sydney Town Hall
Crucified Christ 1940 carved wood, paint. Catholic church Cygnet, Tasmania
Doll c1947 rubber
St Francis 1947 helidon stone St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Paddington, NSW
St Clare 1947 helidon stone St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Paddington, NSW
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Paddington, NSW
Large head 1967 plaster
Large head restored in 2021
Head of Govett 1974 plaster