Peter Greenham (1909-1992) - 20th Century Oil Uncommon Things

Description

This intriguing still life attributed to Peter Greenham (1909-1992), presents an array of unusual objects carefully composed before a rich red curtain. The work is rendered with bold brushstrokes and a subtle modernist sensibility. There is an additional study of a standing girl verso. Unsigned. Inscribed with the artist's name verso. On canvas on stretchers.

Condition

Signs of wear consistent with age. Light discolouration to the varnish. Minor abrasions and light staining throughout. Wear to the edges of the canvas. Overall the artwork remains in good condition for its age.

Size

51 x 38cm (20.1" x 15.0")

Artist Biography

Peter Greenham (1909-1992) was born in London and was the brother of the painter Robert Duckworth Greenham. He was educated at Dulwich College before winning a scholarship to Oxford, where he read English. He subsequently studied at the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting under Ernest Jackson from 1935 to 1939, before working as a schoolmaster in Oxford while continuing to paint. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1951 and a full Royal Academician in 1960. In 1964 he succeeded Sir Henry Rushbury as Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. In this role, he became an influential figure for the post-war generation of British artists, teaching many well-known painters including Martin Yeoman and Peter Kuhfeld. Greenham served as President of the Royal Society of British Artists and was a prolific writer on art. He is perhaps best remembered as a portraitist and was commissioned by the Welsh Guards to paint HM The Queen in 1962. Among his other portrait subjects were Sir Isaiah Berlin, Dr F. R. Leavis, and Lord Hailsham. From 1972 he held many solo exhibitions at the New Grafton Gallery, and in 1984–5 the Arts Council and Norwich School of Art organised a touring exhibition of work by Greenham and his wife, the painter Jane Dowling. His work is represented in the collections of the Royal Academy and the Tate.