William Rothenstein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir William Rothenstein, (January 29, 1872 – February 14, 1945), was an English painter, draughtsman and writer on art.
He was born into a Jewish family in Bradford and studied at the Slade School of Art (his teachers including Alphonse Legros) and in Paris, where he met and was encouraged by Rex Whistler and Edgar Degas. He became known for his portrait drawings of famous individuals and was an official war artist in both World War I and World War II. He was a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters & Gravers.
Rothenstein was Principal of the Royal College of Art from 1920 to 1935, where he encouraged figures including Jacob Epstein, Henry Moore and Paul Nash. He wrote several books, including English Portraits (1898) and the autobiographical volumes, Men and Memories. He was knighted in 1931.
William Rothenstein was the father of art historian and director of the Tate Gallery from 1938 to 1964, Sir John Rothenstein, and the highly respected British printmaker Michael Rothenstein, whose divorce from Duffy Ayers caused a major controversy in British society.
