Celebrating the life and work of Agatha Christie
Artwork commission opportunity for Torquay harbourside, funded by Towns Fund investment
Torbay has an exceptional literary heritage. For generations the bay’s natural and cultural heritage has provided inspiration for some of the most well-read and celebrated authors, including Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw and Séan O’Casey, through to contemporary figures Adam Nevill, Lesley Pearse, TP Fielden, and Sarah Pearse. The most famous literary connection for Torbay is without doubt Agatha Christie.
Born in Torquay, Christie lived and worked here for much of her life, and retained a family holiday home, Greenway, which is in the care of the National Trust. Torbay has marked the author’s life through walking trails, heritage plaques, and a bust near Cary Green; and is home to the International Agatha Christie Festival. The Council and partners now want to ensure that a more prominent, and permanent, reminder of the bay’s most famous daughter is created for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come.
Dame Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976)
The most published author in the world, Agatha Christie’s books have been printed in more than 100 languages and sold over two billion volumes. Her writing has inspired hundreds of films and television productions, and her plays continue to be performed. The most enduring - The Mousetrap, soon to enter its 70th year - was one of the first productions to reopen the West End following the pandemic, a sign of Christie’s continued popularity with contemporary audiences.
The artwork commission:
Torbay Council, working in collaboration with Agatha Christie Limited, the International Agatha Christie Festival, Torbay Culture, TDA, and others, is seeking a permanent artwork for the Torquay harbour area. This will be created to be installed as part of the Strand and harbour renewal and improvement scheme being developed and funded as part of the government’s Towns Fund investment.
The artwork should capture the spirit of Agatha Christie, her life and work. We are especially keen to see ideas come forwards which consider her ‘in the round’, as a woman who lived and worked here, who had multiple interests and passions, including the outdoors, nature, people, and places.
The artwork should consider the needs of the location and audiences – external, open to the elements, and public interaction.
A total fee of £100,000 is available for this commission, funded by Torquay’s Towns Fund awarded by the government. The closing date for receipt of expressions of interest is noon 18 October 2021
How to find out more and apply:
To read the full brief, selection criteria, and find out how to apply, please click Torbay Council’s electronic tendering portal.
In order to submit a response, artists must be registered as suppliers on this portal. Registration is quick, easy to do, and free of charge.
If you have any queries these can be directed via the Messaging facility within the published opportunity itself on the portal, so that they can be passed to the relevant person for a response.
Image of Agatha Christie - courtesy of The Christie Archive Trust
Agatha Christie is a registered trademark of Agatha Christie Limited in the UK and elsewhere. All rights reserved
