Annet Stirling

Annet Stirling is a sculptor, specialising in letters, words and text. Since the late 1980’s, she has undertaken many public and private commissions in the United Kingdom and Europe, working extensively with Ian Hamilton Finlay and exploring the boundaries of legibility and abstraction in letterform. Her work can be seen around London in Westminster Abbey, St Martins in the Fields, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Opera House, National Gallery, House of Commons. Like most letter-cutters, Annet was trained in the drawing of specific classical Roman alphabets for carving, yet her work has moved in new and more modern directions, influenced by the physical aspects of mark making using tools on raw stone. More recently the use of laser-cut Corten steel has been explored to produce editioned works.

Annet trained as a graphic designer in the Netherlands before studying lettering at the City and Guilds of London Art School with Berthold Wolpe, and then finishing her education as an apprentice with Richard Kindersley. In 1988 she formed Incisive Letterwork with Brenda Berman, focusing on large-scale architectural inscriptions and ‘word sculpture’. She travelled throughout Italy on a Churchill Fellowship studying Roman and Renaissance inscriptions. She also has a particular love of a quarry in Dorset where she has spent a considerable amount of time over the years.

A selected list of commissions

2019 WESTMINSTER ABBEY stone to PG Wodehouse designed by Stephen Raw
2014 SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL OXFORD fascia carving Thatcher Business Education Centre
2011 EXETER CATHEDRAL GREEN – 10 carved texts in the pavement at the entrances to the Green
2010 KOLN GERMANY memorial stone to architect O.M.Ungers
2009 STOBHILL PARK GLASGOW – carved benches and wild stones with circle poems in collaboration with Platform Projects (Alec Finlay) and Tom Clark
2008 ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS – donor stone and benches in courtyard
2007 ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL – Re-opening stone for visit of Her Majesty the Queen
2007 ROYAL OPERA HOUSE – Replacement slate Bow Street Entrance
2006 ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL – memorial stone to Roger de Grey PRA
2006 SANKT BIRGITTA KLOSTER DENMARK – commemorative stone for new building
2005 SCHOOL OF SLAVONIC AND EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES – Design of metal title over the main entrance and Princess Royal Opening stone carved in Portland stone
2004/5 NATIONAL GALLERY – Portico carving of title, Getty inscription over the Getty Entrance, donor stones in Main Entrance, Annenberg Court plaster in the East Wing
2003 PRIMARY AUSTIN FRIARS LONDON – Entrance sculpture in Caithness stone
2002 HOUSE OF COMMONS – Queen’s Golden Jubilee Sundial – design of all lettering and overseeing of the sand blasted text
2001 ROYAL ALBERT HALL – design for commemorative panel on existing monument
2000 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY – opening stones for the Ondaatje Wing Architects Dixon Jones
2000 CASTLE MUSEUM NORWICH – 12 wall and floor stones leading to the entrance of the museum. Public Art Project
1999 ROYAL OPERA HOUSE – carved granite inscription on the new building
1998 GEFFRYE MUSEUM – opening plaque in York stone for extension opened by Prince Charles
1992/99 BRITISH MUSEUM – carved plaques in various stones for opening of refurbished or new galleries
1991 BADEN STATE LIBRARY KARLSRUHE – designed and carved sixteen ‘fragments’ for O M Ungers new Library in conjunction with Ian Hamilton Finlay
1990 GRANITE PILLARS – River Clyde Glasgow – designed lettering for Ian Hamilton Finlay’s entry for the Four Cities Arts Festival
1990 NATIONAL GALLERY Sainsbury Wing – carved large freeze with Michael Harvey