Roger de Grey
Sir Roger de Grey PRA (18 April 1918 – 14 February 1995 London) was a landscape painter. From 1984 to 1993 he was President of the Royal Academy.
Early life and education
Born in 1918 in Penn, Buckinghamshire, a scion of the ancient Grey family,[1] Roger de Grey was a nephew of the noted post-impressionist English landscape painter, Spencer Gore.[2] He studied art at the then Chelsea Polytechnic from 1936–1939. During World War II he was commissioned in the Royal Armoured Corps. After the war he returned to Chelsea to complete his studies from 1946–1947. His tutors were Ceri Richards, Robert Medley, Harold Williamson and Raymond Coxon.
Art practice
de Grey was a landscape painter. He often worked in Kent and France, painting outdoors and then finishing his work indoors. His first solo show was at the Thomas Agnew & Sons Gallery in 1954.[3] Later he exhibited at the Tate Gallery and Royal Academy, as well as internationally. His paintings are still sought after by collectors.[4]
Teaching and administration
De Grey had a long and distinguished career as an artist educator. He was a Lecturer at King's College, Newcastle upon Tyne (1947–1951) and then Master of Painting (1951–1953). At the Royal College of Art, he was Senior Tutor, later Reader in Painting from 1953-1973. From 1973-1995 he was the Principal of the City and Guilds of London Art School. He was also a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery 1984-1995.[5]
The Royal Academy
In 1962, Roger de Grey was elected A.R.A. and became a full Academician in 1969. From 1976 until 1984, he was Treasurer under the Presidency of Sir Hugh Casson. De Grey became Casson's successor when The Royal Academy elected him President in 1984. Roger de Grey was elected Senior RA in October 1993, the year he stepped down from being President. He was elected RWA in 1994.
Legacy
Roger de Grey was knighted in 1991 for his services to British Art. He was given a Memorial show at the Royal Academy in 1996. The Tate Gallery and Arts Council of Great Britain hold several examples of his work. He married in 1942 Flavia Hart, A.R.A. (née Irwin; two sons, one daughter) and died in London in 1995, aged 77.
References
- ↑
- ↑ Biography at Royal Academy website
- ↑ Tomes, Jason (2004). "Grey, Roger". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/59121. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ ibid
- ↑ Obituary from The Independent newspaper by Norman Rosenthal
External links
| Cultural offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sir Hugh Casson |
President of the Royal Academy 1984–1993 |
Succeeded by Sir Philip Dowson |
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