STROUD-BASED Lynn Chadwick, one of the giants of British sculpture, was born 100- years ago today, Monday.

Born on November 24, 1914, the artist died in 2003 at his Lypiatt Park home, where he is buried in the pinetum.

A leading exponent of postwar sculpture in the UK, Chadwick found fame in 1956 when he beat Alberto Giacometti to win the Venice Biennale’s International Prize for Sculpture, having only worked as a sculptor for six years.

Essentially self-taught, Chadwick had no formal art school training, but in a career spanning 50 years, he created over a thousand pieces and is represented in all the leading public art collections of Britain, North and South America, Europe and Japan. In autumn 2003, a retrospective was held at Tate Britain, London.

Chadwick bought the neo-gothic mansion Lypiatt Park in 1958, which at the time was semi-derelict, and proceeded to renovate. It became his home and studio, and a setting for his work. In 1986 he bought 250 acres of adjoining land and created a sculpture park, gradually siting his work in the landscape.

To celebrate the centenary of his birth, a pair of Chadwick's sculptures - High Hat Man (1968) and High Hat Woman (1968) - are now showing in the atrium space at The Wilson, Cheltenham’s art gallery and museum.

Cast in bronze and over two metres in height, the sculptures create a striking presence in the atrium space. The works date from the late 1960s, a period when Chadwick was exploring finish variances in his work, and both sculptures include areas of highly polished surface achieving a warm, golden sheen. The display also offers a unique opportunity to view the sculpture from above.

Dan Chadwick, Lynn Chadwick’s son, said: “I am very happy to see that my father’s work is going to be shown in this fine museum.”

High Hat Man and High Hat Woman will be on display in The Wilson’s atrium space until March 31, 2015.