On Valentine’s Day, Barry Gibb – the last surviving member of the Bee Gees – lifted the black cloth on Queensland sculptor Phillip Piperides latest work, revealing an evocative life-size statue of the group starting out as children.
As he did so, Gibb’s sister Lesley and their 93-year mother Barbara standing close by, burst into tears.
So ended sculptor Piperides’ five month journey to create a solid bronze statue of one of the greatest ever pop music acts.
The unveiling in Redcliffe north of Brisbane, the childhood home of Barry and twin brothers Robin and Maurice, was part of a day of tributes to the band, with a walkway also named in honour of the chart-topping group.
Phillip Piperides, who created the 1.8 metre statue at his foundry in Brendale, told Neos Kosmos that he felt a sense of pride as Gibb drew back the cloth.
“The day was all about Barry Gibb, but it was a great moment for me and my family,” said Piperides.
“Barry only had a few words with me as the day was quite hectic. I shook his hand and his response was ‘well done’.”
Last year Piperides was asked by the Moreton Bay Regional Council who backed the project, to submit a proposal for the statue and create a miniature version for consideration by the Gibb family.
“At that stage I was unsure of whether I had the project, but soon after I received news that Barry Gibb was happy with the model, and wished to continue with the life-size work”.
Nicosia-born Piperides moved to Australia in 1967. His obsession with clay and sculpture grew as a teenager after taking classes.
In 1983 he travelled to Greece to study with Greek sculptor Vangilis Moustakas and learned bronze casting at the Dimitri Gavallas foundry, after which he broadened his knowledge on monumental sculpture with extensive travel and work in Europe.
Phillip founded the Perides Art Foundry more than 25 years ago and has become celebrated for his many public and private commissions, which include a bronze of Queensland rugby league hero Darren Lockyer at the Suncorp Stadium and a Kokoda Track memorial in Fern Tree Gully in Victoria.
Piperides said he played a number of Bee Gees albums while he worked on the Redcliffe sculpture for further inspiration.
“When I was growing up the Bee Gees were at their peak and their songs were always on the radio.
“Their music was great to listen to and of course I was a fan. My favourite song was How Do You Mend a Broken Heart”.
On seeing the finished work, Barry Gibb told a throng of reporters that what he liked best about the statue “is that we’re barefoot. That’s how we all lived. This was our environment, this was where the music was born.”