Sophie Dickens, great-great grand daughter of Charles Dickens, is a figurative sculptor inspired by ancient Greek tradition, as well as the ‘kinematic’ skills of photographer Eadward Muybridge. Meticulous study of anatomy and a course in dissection for artists, has given her a proper understanding of muscle, bone and sinew. She won the V & A award for sculpture of the human form in 2007.

Luke Syson, curator and Renaissance art historian, is a serious admirer of Sophie’s work. He writes: ‘All the rooms of my New York apartment are energised by the presence of Sophie’s bronzes. I find her pieces powerful, funny, sexy, innocent and passionate.’ Sophie’s Tale of Two Lovers seems self-explanatory, but starts with the lightning flash, continues with passion, quarrels, making up, and final blissful union.

Sophie decided to paint many of her new sculptures in brilliant colours. She says ‘there is a perception that bronzes need to look antique, but in Greece and Rome they were painted, and the colour has simply fallen off with age. I want my sculptures to look new and bright.’ She chose bright orange for ’Still Together Forever’ – the colour of happiness.

Sophie’s work has been commissioned for public and private spaces around the world, including Russia and America. The distinguished architect Sir Michael Hopkins is one of her collectors.