John (né Giovanni) Galizia was born in Sicily, Italy circa 1896 and arrived in England in 1912 around the age of 16. In 1930, he established his own eponymous foundry, where he cast works for numerous renowned British and emigre sculptors, including Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein, Elisabeth Frink, Kenneth Armitage and Oscar Nemon, among others.
Bronze founder and teacher John Galizia (né Giovanni Galizia) was born in Sicily, Italy around 1896. He arrived in England in 1912 around the age of 16. He began his career in the Parlanti Foundry in London, established by fellow Italian immigrants, Alessandro Parlanti and Gaetano Rovini, before briefly partnering with another Italian founder, Giovanni Fiorini. Galizia became a naturalised British subject in 1926, when he was already a senior figure in the casting industry, working as a head foreman in an art bronze foundry. In 1930, he established his own business at 36 York Road, Battersea, south west London, where he specialised in the lost wax process and built a reputation for meticulous and small-scale castings. From 1929–41, he also taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where he focused on transmitting technical knowledge to young artists, including Mary Spencer Watson and Kenneth Armitage. His teaching at the Central School helped reintroduce and popularise the ‘cire perdue’ (lost wax) technique at a time when British art schools were increasingly open to modernist materials and methods. Galizia also mentored younger artisans, including Wally Livingstone, who later founded his own workshop, extending the legacy of Battersea-based foundry practice into a new generation.
Galizia’s foundry was admired for its technical precision, particularly in the casting of fine details. Working closely with fellow immigrant Italian craftsman, Antonio Vichi, the foundry became a family-run enterprise, with Galizia’s son Vincent and Vichi’s son Armando both taking up roles in the workshop. During the 1940s, the firm advertised its services for artistic, architectural and ecclesiastical commissions. A 1947 Picture Post photo feature documented the casting of Atri Brown’s The Lady of Peace, providing rare insight into the foundry’s working methods and artisanal ethos. Galizia’s clients included many of the leading sculptors working in the UK across the mid-20th century, including a number of emigres. Among the most prominent were Henry Moore, Jacob Epstein, Elisabeth Frink, Kenneth Armitage and Oscar Nemon, followed by William Reid Dick, Charles Wheeler, Alfred Hardiman, Eduardo Paolozzi, Franta Belsky, Robert Clatworthy, William Turnbull, Frank Dobson, Maurice Lambert, F.E. McWilliam, Michael Rizzello, Arthur Fleischmann, Uli Nimptsch, and Charles Sargeant Jagger. The foundry cast works ranging from intimate portrait busts to large-scale public sculptures. Most notable pieces include Wheeler’s Sea Piece (1949) for Port Sunlight, Hardiman’s Viscount Southwood Memorial fountain (1948) at St James’s Churchyard, and Moore’s King and Queen (1953, 1958), Warrior (1957), and Festival Figure (1960), to name just a few. Galizia’s contribution to the careers of these artists was integral, with many of these works exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts; Venice Biennale, and Tate Gallery. Moreover, a sculpted portrait head of Galizia himself, by Alfred Turner RA was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1929.
Galizia was more than a technician; his close working relationships with artists positioned him as a crucial, if often overlooked, figure in shaping the look and finish of modern British sculpture. Unlike larger commercial foundries such as Morris Singer, Galizia’s workshop remained relatively small and hands-on, known especially for its precise cire perdue castings and long-standing relationships with individual sculptors. In 1952, Galizia was described in the press as coming 'from four generations of craftsmen', working with 'world-famous sculptors for 39 years' without the need to advertise as the was regularly recommended by the Royal Academy (Western Mail 1952, p. 3).
John Galizia died in London, England on 26 September 1958. Following his death, the business was continued by his son, Vincent, under the name John Galizia & Son Ltd. In 1969, the foundry relocated to new premises on Chatfield Road, Battersea, where it remained in operation until 1984. At its height, the foundry employed nine workers and maintained its dedication to the lost wax process. Works cast by Galizia for a wide range of artists are held in UK public collections, while the Galizia archive, housed at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, contains extensive documentation and photographic records detailing the foundry’s activity between 1930 and 1984. Correspondence and documents can also be found in the Tate Archives.
Irene Iacono and Ben Uri research colleagues
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [John Galizia]
Publications related to [John Galizia] in the Ben Uri Library