Michael Andrews (artist)
Encyclopedia
Michael Andrews was a British
painter.
, England
, the second child of Thomas Victor Andrews and his wife Gertrude Emma Green. He completed his two years' National service between 1947 and 1949, nineteen months of which was spent in Egypt
. From 1949-53 he studied at the Slade School of Fine Art under William Coldstream
, Lucian Freud
, William Townsend and Lawrence Gowing
. Fellow students and friends there included Victor Willing
, Keith Sutton
, Diana Cumming, Euan Uglow
and Craigie Aitchison
. In 1953 he spent six months in Italy
after receiving a Rome Scholarship in Painting.
From 1958 he taught at the Slade and Chelsea School of Art. In 1958/9 he spent time at the Digswell Arts Trust
, sharing a studio with Patrick Swift
. In 1959 his painting A Man Who Suddenly Fell Over was acquired by the Tate Gallery
. In the early 1960s he contributed, along with artists such as Bacon
, Freud
, et al., to the influential ‘X’ magazine
, founded by Patrick Swift
. In the 1960s he painted works showing parties; later, the "Lights" series presented views from the air. Andrews was much impressed by a visit to Ayers Rock
in 1983, but the works he produced toward the end of his life are of scenes from Scotland
and London
. In 1981 he moved to the village of Saxlingham Nethergate
in his home county of Norfolk
. He was a member of the Norwich Twenty Group
.
He painted Sax AD 832 in 1982 to celebrate 1,150 years of the village's history. The painting was auctioned at Christie's
London
on June 20, 2007 and was sold for £692,000. Major exhibitions of Andrews' works were held by the Arts Council
in 1981 and Tate Britain
in 2001.
In 1994 he underwent an operation for cancer. He died on 19 July 1995. He is buried in Glenartney in Perthshire
.
Michael Andrews played a deaf-mute in Lorenza Mazzetti's Free Cinema
film Together
, alongside Eduardo Paolozzi
(1955).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
painter.
Life and work
Michael Andrews was born in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, 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...
, the second child of Thomas Victor Andrews and his wife Gertrude Emma Green. He completed his two years' National service between 1947 and 1949, nineteen months of which was spent in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. From 1949-53 he studied at the Slade School of Fine Art under William Coldstream
William Coldstream
Sir William Menzies Coldstream was a British realist painter and a long standing art teacher.-Biography:...
, Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud
Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
, William Townsend and Lawrence Gowing
Lawrence Gowing
Sir Lawrence Gowing was a British artist, writer, curator and teacher. Initially recognized as a portrait and landscape painter, he quickly rose to prominence as an art educator, writer, and eventually, curator and museum trustee...
. Fellow students and friends there included Victor Willing
Victor Willing
Victor Arthur James Willing was a British painter-Life and work:Victor Willing was born in Alexandria, Egypt, the only son of George Willing, professional soldier, and his wife Irene Cynthia Tomkins. The first four years of his life were spent there and, briefly, in Malta...
, Keith Sutton
Keith Sutton
Keith George Sutton was a British artist and critic-Life and work:Keith Sutton was born in Dulwich on May 29, 1924, the younger son of George William Sutton and Audrey Pearl Dewar. He was educated at Rutlish School, Merton, leaving at age 16 to attend Wimbledon School of Art...
, Diana Cumming, Euan Uglow
Euan Uglow
-Biography:Euan Uglow was born 10 March 1932 in London and as a child lived in Tulse Hill in south London. His father was an accountant, and Uglow went to the local grammar school in Tulse Hill, called Strand School. Afterwards he studied at Camberwell School of Art from 1948 to 1950...
and Craigie Aitchison
Craigie Aitchison (painter)
Craigie Aitchison, RA, CBE was a Scottish painter. He was known for his many paintings of the Crucifixion, one of which hangs behind the altar in the chapter house of Liverpool Cathedral.-Education:...
. In 1953 he spent six months in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after receiving a Rome Scholarship in Painting.
From 1958 he taught at the Slade and Chelsea School of Art. In 1958/9 he spent time at the Digswell Arts Trust
Digswell Arts Trust
Digswell Arts Trust was the brainchild of Henry Morris, a pioneering educationalist. Through his enthusiasm, dedication and influence he persuaded the Government and the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation to establish a Trust for professional artists in Welwyn Garden City, England.It was...
, sharing a studio with Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift was an artist born in Dublin, Ireland. Patrick Swift was a painter and key cultural figure in Dublin and London before moving to the Algarve in southern Portugal, where he is buried in the town of Porches...
. In 1959 his painting A Man Who Suddenly Fell Over was acquired by the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
. In the early 1960s he contributed, along with artists such as Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, Freud
Lucian Freud
Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
, et al., to the influential ‘X’ magazine
X (magazine)
X, A Quarterly Review was a British arts review published in London which ran for seven issues between 1959-1962. It was founded and co-edited by Patrick Swift and David Wright...
, founded by Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift
Patrick Swift was an artist born in Dublin, Ireland. Patrick Swift was a painter and key cultural figure in Dublin and London before moving to the Algarve in southern Portugal, where he is buried in the town of Porches...
. In the 1960s he painted works showing parties; later, the "Lights" series presented views from the air. Andrews was much impressed by a visit to Ayers Rock
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
in 1983, but the works he produced toward the end of his life are of scenes from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and 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...
. In 1981 he moved to the village of Saxlingham Nethergate
Saxlingham Nethergate
Saxlingham Nethergate is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, some south of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 676 in 276 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of South Norfolk. The...
in his home county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. He was a member of the Norwich Twenty Group
Norwich Twenty Group
The Norwich Twenty Group is a group of artists based in Norwich, England. The organization was formed in 1944 after a touring modern art exhibition came to Norwich Castle Museum. Spurred by the public outcry, twenty local young artists created the group to promote understanding of modern art in...
.
He painted Sax AD 832 in 1982 to celebrate 1,150 years of the village's history. The painting was auctioned at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
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...
on June 20, 2007 and was sold for £692,000. Major exhibitions of Andrews' works were held by the Arts Council
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...
in 1981 and Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
in 2001.
In 1994 he underwent an operation for cancer. He died on 19 July 1995. He is buried in Glenartney in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
.
Michael Andrews played a deaf-mute in Lorenza Mazzetti's Free Cinema
Free Cinema
Free Cinema was a documentary film movement that emerged in England in the mid-1950s. The term referred to an absence of propagandised intent or deliberate box office appeal. Co-founded by Lindsay Anderson, though he later disdained the 'movement' tag, with Karel Reisz, Tony Richardson and Lorenza...
film Together
Together (1956 film)
Together is a 1956 film about two deaf people in the East End of London, directed by Lorenza Mazzetti, in collaboration with Denis Horne. The two main characters are played by artists Eduardo Paolozzi and Michael Andrews, who were friends of the filmmaker...
, alongside Eduardo Paolozzi
Eduardo Paolozzi
Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi, KBE, RA , was a Scottish sculptor and artist. He was a major figure in the international art sphere, while, working on his own interpretation and vision of the world. Paolozzi investigated how we can fit into the modern world to resemble our fragmented civilization...
(1955).
See also
- The Portrait NowThe Portrait NowThe Portrait Now was a major international overview of contemporary portraiture held in 1993–1994 at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Among many others it included portraits by Michael Andrews, Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, Tony Bevan, Chuck Close, Jim Dine, Peter Edwards, Stephen Finer,...
- List of British artists
- Digswell Arts TrustDigswell Arts TrustDigswell Arts Trust was the brainchild of Henry Morris, a pioneering educationalist. Through his enthusiasm, dedication and influence he persuaded the Government and the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation to establish a Trust for professional artists in Welwyn Garden City, England.It was...
- Pallant House GalleryPallant House GalleryPallant House Gallery is an art gallery in Chichester, West Sussex, England. It houses one of the best collections of 20th century British art in the world....
External links
- Michael Andrews 19 July - 7 October 2001 (Tate Britain; note the "room guide")