Hugh McKenzie (1909-2005) - Framed 1985 Watercolour Aldgate High Street

Description

A meticulously detailed street scene by Hugh McKenzie (1909-2005) in pen and watercolour. Signed and dated to the lower right. Inscribed to the mount. Well presented in a gilt-effect frame with a wash line mount. On watercolour paper.

Condition

Damage to the paper in the upper right, which has been overpainted. Wear and scuffs to the frame.

Size

35.5 x 53cm (14.0" x 20.9")
Framed Size: 58.5 x 75cm (23.0" x 29.5")

Artist Biography

British artist Hugh McKenzie (1909-2005) was born in Cromarty, Scotland. He is best known for his detailed watercolour drawings of London streets. He attended the Slade School of Fine Art during the early 1930s. Unable to make a living as a practising artist, he was employed in a clerical position by the British, Foreign and Colonial Corporation in central London. His break periods afforded him the opportunity to sketch the surrounding streets and buildings, turning them into finished watercolours once back home. He furthered his technique by attending part-time classes at other London art schools including Goldsmiths' College, St Martin's School of Art and Woolwich. Before the outbreak of World War II he had joined the Fire Service and remained with them until his retirement in the mid-1960s. A prolific exhibitor, McKenzie showed in many galleries in south London. Examples of his work are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, the Guildhall, London, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, and Nottingham Art Gallery. He was a member of the Blackheath Art Society with whom he also exhibited for many years. He was awarded the Freedom of the City in 1965, the same year that he was made a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. In 1961 he was given a retrospective exhibition held at Manor House, Lee, organised in conjunction with the now defunct Woolwich Polytechnic. Productive into old age, he held a solo exhibition at Architecture Ltd in 1999 to celebrate his 90th birthday.