
Sculptor, mainly in wood, of works which mixed geometric abstraction with organic abstraction. He was born and remained based in London. Studied engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic for three years from 1946, then did a number of jobs, eventually qualifying as a dental technician. Began creating first forms from wood in 1956. After a one-man show at Dunn’s in Bromley in 1965 and another at Heal’s in 1966 his career took off. He was in 1967 given another show at Heal’s, showed in Melbourne, Australia, had three works commissioned for Dartington Hall and six for Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Although in 1968 Henry Moore and Herbert Read acclaimed Willsher’s work, a tussle with Customs and Excise bureaucrats, who decided to tax his creations as non-sculpture, persuaded Willsher against showing in galleries, and he chose to market his sculptures personally.
Text source: 'Artists in Britain Since 1945' by David Buckman (Art Dictionaries Ltd, part of Sansom & Company)