Jack Coutu
Encyclopedia
Jack Coutu ARE ARCA (born 1924) is an English
printmaker, sculptor, etcher, engraver, carver, watercolourist and teacher. He was influenced by Oriental art.
He was born Raymond John Coutu at Farnham
, Surrey
, England
, and was educated at Farnham Grammar School
. From 1947 to 1951, he studied at the Farnham School of Art, followed by the Royal College of Art
in London
from 1951 to 1954 and the Central School of Art from 1951 to 1955. At the Central School of Art, Merlin Evans was an influence on Coutu's printmaking.
Coutu taught printmaking at the Central School of Art from 1957 to 1965 and then at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham from 1965 to 1985. In 1968, he started to carve netsuke
(as practiced in Japan
) and he joined the Netsuke Kenkyukai Society, based in the US. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers and the Printmakers Council
.
Jack Coutu has exhibited at the Royal Academy
in London, netsuke conventions, jointly with Michael Rothenstein
at the Alecto Gallery in 1965, and at the Graphic Arts Gallery in 1968. His work is in the permanent collections of the Arts Council of Great Britain
, Cartwright Hall
art gallery in Bradford
, King Gustave
of Sweden
, the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
printmaker, sculptor, etcher, engraver, carver, watercolourist and teacher. He was influenced by Oriental art.
He was born Raymond John Coutu at Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was educated at Farnham Grammar School
Farnham Grammar School
Farnham Grammar School is now called Farnham College which is located in Farnham, Surrey.-History:The grammar school was created some time before 1585...
. From 1947 to 1951, he studied at the Farnham School of Art, followed by the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1951 to 1954 and the Central School of Art from 1951 to 1955. At the Central School of Art, Merlin Evans was an influence on Coutu's printmaking.
Coutu taught printmaking at the Central School of Art from 1957 to 1965 and then at the West Surrey College of Art and Design in Farnham from 1965 to 1985. In 1968, he started to carve netsuke
Netsuke
Netsuke are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function...
(as practiced in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) and he joined the Netsuke Kenkyukai Society, based in the US. He is also a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers and the Printmakers Council
Printmakers Council
The London-based Printmakers Council, founded in 1965, aims to promote the art of printmaking and the work of contemporary printmakers. It organizes exhibitions in London, around the United Kingdom and internationally...
.
Jack Coutu has exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in London, netsuke conventions, jointly with Michael Rothenstein
Michael Rothenstein
William Michael Rothenstein RA was an English printmaker, painter and art teacher.-Early life:Born in Hampstead, London, on 19 March 1908, he was the youngest of four children born to the celebrated artist, Sir William Rothenstein and his wife, Alice Knewstub.-Art:He was home schooled and studied...
at the Alecto Gallery in 1965, and at the Graphic Arts Gallery in 1968. His work is in the permanent collections of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
, Cartwright Hall
Cartwright Hall
Cartwright Hall is the civic art gallery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated about a mile from the city centre in the Manningham district....
art gallery in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, King Gustave
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London.