William Washington (painter)

William Washington RBA ARCA ARE (1885 – 18 July 1956) was a British engraver and painter and Principal of the Hammersmith School of Art for 20 years.[1][2]

William Washington
Born1 January 1885
Marple, England
Died18 July 1956(1956-07-18) (aged 70–71)
Norwood, England
OccupationPainter

Washington was born in Marple, Cheshire, a son of a railway signalman,[3] and started his studies at Ashton-under-Lyne’s Hegginbottom Art School whilst working for a printing company.[4][2] He would finish his studies at the Royal College of Art between 1906 and 1910.[4][2] He obtained his first teaching job at the Southend College of Art, moving onto Clapham School of Art before he was appointed at Hammersmith in 1929.[2]

He exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Paris Salon while the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum hold permanent collections of his work.[3] The Studio magazine described his work as:[5]

whose linear conceptions of places and portraiture are irradiated by a vital expressiveness

His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.[6] In 1954 he was elected Master of the Art Workers' Guild.[7]

Legacy

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In 2014 the Washington Foundation was set up in memory of both William Washington, and his son, ceramicist R J Washington, with the aim of supporting emerging artists to develop their skills.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "William Washington". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Scott. J (24 October 1970). "Washington - a great engraver re-discovered". Collectors Weekly. p. 17.
  3. ^ a b Dolman, Bernard (1972). Who's Who in Art. p. 575.
  4. ^ a b "William Washington (1885 – 1956)". British Council Visual Arts. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  5. ^ "The Studio". No. 101. 1931. p. 295. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  6. ^ "William Washington". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  7. ^ Past Master List (PDF). Art Workers' Guild.
  8. ^ "The Washington Foundation". Retrieved 26 October 2021.