The Devant Sculpture

14 January 2022

David Devant (1868-1941) was the founding President of The Magic Circle and is widely regarded as Great Britain’s greatest magician, and arguably the most important of the 20th Century. He was a brilliant inventor, creating such whimsical effects as The Mascot Moth – where a winged human assistant vanished into a candle flame. He was a skilled and witty performer, and was equally admired by the public and fellow professionals, becoming a household name long before TV. Devant appeared in the first Royal Command Performance and was a pioneer in early cinema. His donations also founded the basis of The Magic Circle Library and Museum. One of his best-known tricks involved a boy, a girl and some eggs: hence the latter’s depiction in this bronze sculpture by Faith Winter, born 1927, and generously donated by American member David Baldwin (1928-2014). It was unveiled in 1998 on the opening of The Centre for the Magical Arts.

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