Paul Montford came to Australia from England in 1921, attracted by the light, which he believed to be conducive to monumental sculpture. Settling in Melbourne, the flamboyant and politically progressive artist soon created controversy with his avant-garde opinions about the social and environmental role of sculpture. A prolific worker, he is credited with fostering public sculpture in Australia. In 1927 Montford was commissioned to produce the external sculptures of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. General Monash had campaigned for the memorial to be built and, prior to his death in 1931, he liked to take visitors to see Montford at work on the Shrine sculptures. Montford made the eight relief portraits in King’s Hall, Old Parliament House. The National Portrait Gallery has his bust of Sydney Myer.
