Images, London, United Kingdom

Kew Palace by Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden Biography

Edward Bawden

Braintree, Essex,UK, 1903 - Saffron Walden, Essex, UK, 1989

Established English printmaker, designer, illustrator and painter Edward Bawden is known for the ingeniousness of his work and the simplicity of its lines.

Bawden studied at the Cambridge School of Art (1918-22) and at the Design School of the Royal College of Art (1922-26), where he was a contemporary of Eric Ravilious and a student of Paul Nash. While he was a student, he and Ravilious were commissioned by Sir Joseph Duveen to paint a mural at Morley College (destroyed in 1940) in London.

After graduating, Bawden worked on various projects for Curwen Press at Plaistow, London, and for other publishers, creating illustrations for books and designing book covers, posters and advertisements, calendars, etc., including projects for Shell-Mex, Westminster Bank and the London Transport Board.

His first solo exhibition was held at the Zwemmer Gallery in London in 1933 and consisted mainly of landscapes bearing the influence of Nash.

During World War II Bawden was named as Official Artist of the War, traveling to Belgium, France and the Middle East to paint places such as ?The Roman Catholic Church in Addis Ababa? (1941; London, Tate Gallery).

His final work, particularly as a graphic designer, is notable for its simplicity of line, but he also returned to painting large-scale murals, including some for the Lion and Unicorn Pavilion at the Festival of Britain, London (1950-51), and the United Kingdom?s pavilion at Expo ?67 in Montreal.

His work can be found in public collections including those of the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Tate Gallery in London, and the UK Government Art Collection.

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