Bettina Shaw-Lawrence (29 July 1921 – 12 September 2018), also known as Betty Shaw-Lawrence, was an English figurative artist. Shaw studied painting and drawing under

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

Cedric Morris Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris, 9th Baronet (11 December 1889 – 8 February 1982) was a British artist, art teacher and plantsman. He was born in Swansea in South Wales, but worked mainly in East Anglia. As an artist he is best known for his portra ...

and

Arthur Lett-Haines Arthur Lett-Haines (1894 – 25 February 1978Deaths, ''The Times'', 2 March 1978), known as Lett Haines, was a British painter and sculptor who experimented in many different media, though he generally characterised himself as "an English surr ...

, though she was mainly self-taught and worked professionally until the early 1980s.

Biography

Shaw-Lawrence was born in London in July 1921. Her work is figurative and expresses itself mainly through

oil paint Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varn ...

ings. Her other favourite mediums are black and white or coloured ink drawings. She is also a book

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, "widely known as a portrait painter", and a sculptor. Her works are represented in private collections but recently her pen and ink drawing of the poet David Gascoyne has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in London. From 1946 onwards, the artist had several solo and group exhibitions in galleries of contemporary Art in London, Rome and New York. The artist attended, before the outbreak of the Second World War, drawing classes under

and studied sculpture with

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

in Paris. During those formative years

David Gascoyne David Gascoyne (10 October 1916 – 25 November 2001) was an English poet associated with the Surrealist movement, in particular the British Surrealist Group. Additionally he translated work by French surrealist poets. Early life and surrealis ...

, the

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

poet, was her mentor. On her return to London in September, 1939, Shaw-Lawrence met David Kentish and

Lucian Freud Lucian Michael Freud (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. He was born in Berlin, the son of Jewis ...

both students at

and

East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing The East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing was an art learning environment established by Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines in East Anglia in 1937. It was run on very idiosyncratic lines based upon the ''"free rein"'' approach that was the ...

. This encounter enabled her to spend the summer of 1940 studying under the artist Cedric Morris and though she returned to the School at Benton End near

Hadleigh, Suffolk Hadleigh () is an ancient market town and civil parish in South Suffolk, East Anglia, situated, next to the River Brett, between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 census. The headquarters of Bab ...

, for short spells during the war, Shaw-Lawrence mainly painted in

Richmond-upon-Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Bettina travelled to the Continent. Countries such as Spain or France inspired her works and were subsequently exhibited at The

Leicester Galleries Leicester Galleries was an art gallery located in London from 1902 to 1977 that held exhibitions of modern British, French and international artists' works. Its name was acquired in 1984 by Peter Nahum, who operates "Peter Nahum at the Leiceste ...

and the Hanover Gallery. In 1958 Shaw-Lawrence left England to move to Italy where her oils on canvas became more luminous and serene though her work " might be sets for very sophisticated doll dramas". Her paintings were steeped in "a world of crystalline beauty, alive and real", a world devoid of intruders "because of this power of hers to purify reality and restore it to innocence". Shaw-Lawrence died in Italy in September 2018 at the age of 97.

Career

Solo exhibitions

1947 - The Leicester Galleries - London. This first exhibition of the artist was announced by

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

. Its catalogue comprised: 16 oil paintings and 12 drawings (ink and gouache, ink and water-colour, coloured inks and chalk as well as one pastel), most of which depicted landscapes, flowers or still-lives with the exception of one portrait of

. In 1948, The Penguin New Writing n°33 edited by

John Lehmann Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann (2 June 1907 – 7 April 1987) was an English poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals ''New Writing'' and ''The London Magazine'', and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited. Biography Born in ...

published two of her works from this exhibition: 'Richmond Bridge' (oil) and 'Boy with a Donkey' (coloured inks). 1953 - Hanover Gallery - London. The artist's second show was also announced in

. The catalogue listed 18 oil paintings. 1963 -

Bodley Gallery The Bodley Gallery was an art gallery in New York City, from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. The Bodley specialized in contemporary and modern art. David Mann was director of the gallery during its heyday and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Braun (a.k. ...

- 223 East 60th Street, New York . April 15, 1963 The exhibition catalogue comprises 40 "oil on canvas", all pertaining to the artist's Italian period. Her exhibition was announced by

ARTnews ''ARTnews'' is an American visual-arts magazine, based in New York City. It covers art from ancient to contemporary times. ARTnews is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. It has a readership of 180,000 in 124 countri ...

. 1975 - Wivenhoe Arts Club -

Wivenhoe Wivenhoe ( ) is a town and civil parish in north-eastern Essex, England, approximately south-east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two ...

(Essex) "An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Bettina Shaw-Lawrence opened at the club on Saturday evening and among the guests was Mr

, one of the leaders of the

where Miss Shaw-Lawrence studied many years ago. There are 39 works in the exhibition... which will remain open for the next three weeks",.

Further exhibits

The artist's first exhibits in London included the Reid & Lefèvre Gallery and the Léger Gallery. These were followed in 1955 by the Arthur Jeffress Gallery in London in collaboration with the

Galerie Charpentier The Galerie Charpentier was a gallery of historic and contemporary art in Paris, located at 76, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, at the corner with rue Duras. History In 1802, the Comte d'Orglandes had a mansion built at 76 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Ho ...

in Paris. On this occasion, her portrait entitled 'Portrait with a Rose' was selected for the cover of The Listener to announce a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

radio programme on the ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' style of art, dated February 3, 1955. The Bodley catalogue dated 1963, confirms that when Bettina Shaw-Lawrence lived in Rome, Italy (1959–1967) her works were exhibited " at the Obelisco and Gallery 88". In 1985, Bettina Shaw-Lawrence took part in the exhibition entitled 'The Benton End Circle' which was held at Bury St Edmunds Art gallery in

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

(Suffolk). On that occasion the artist sold a pen and ink drawing of

posing in the nude for the students of the

at Benton End in the early 1940s (see external link). This was her last exhibition and it had taken place in a gallery located close to Benton End where she had always longed to be during the war years and would "always remember the lovely times I've had down there".

Portrait artist

Among the painter's sitters were the designer

Jean Muir Jean Elizabeth Muir ( ; 17 July 1928 – 28 May 1995) was a British fashion designer. Early life and career Jean Muir was born in London, the daughter of Cyril Muir, a draper's floor superintendent, and his wife, Phyllis Coy. Her father wa ...

, her husband Harry Leuckert, David Kentish, his sister, the actress Elizabeth Kentish, the poet

, and the journalist and writer

Paul Johnson (writer) Paul Bede Johnson (born 2 November 1928) is an English journalist, popular historian, speechwriter, and author. Although associated with the political left in his early career, he is now a conservative popular historian. Johnson was educated ...

Book illustrator

1946 - William Miller Abrahams. 'Interval in Carolina'. Jacket designed by Bettina Shaw-Lawrence. London: Editions

Poetry London ''Poetry London'' is a literary periodical based in London. Published three times a year, it features poems, reviews, and other articles. Profile Adopting the title of an earlier bimonthly publication which ran from 1939 to 1951, ''Poetry London' ...

. 1949 - Shaw-Lawrence, Bettina and Fassam, Thomas. 'An Herbarium For The Fair: Being a Book of Common Herbs with Etchings by Betty Shaw-Lawrence'.London: The Hand & Flower Press.Book available at:

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Library,

London Library The London Library is an independent lending library in London, established in 1841. It was founded on the initiative of Thomas Carlyle, who was dissatisfied with some of the policies at the British Museum Library. It is located at 14 St James's ...

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Library. 1957 -

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

.'The Impostor'. Translated from the French by Dorothy Williams. Jacket designed by Bettina Shaw-Lawrence. London: Peter Owen Limited. 1972 - Shaw-Lawrence, Bettina. Festchrift for KFB (Katherine Falley Bennett). London: The Lyrebird Press, Micro-dot-Book. p. 167 and a double page drawing p. 140 - 141. 1979 - Shaw-Lawrence, Bettina, Durrell, Lawrence.'Apple Grammar'. London:

/Apple Magazine, vol.1 N°1.p. 79. 1989 - Shaw-Lawrence, Bettina.

Tambimuttu Meary James Thurairajah Tambimuttu (15 August 1915 – 23 June 1983) was a Tamil poet, editor, critic and publisher, who for many years played a significant part on the literary scenes of London and New York City. He founded in 1939 the respecte ...

''Bridge Between Two Worlds''. London:

Peter Owen Publishers Peter Owen Publishers is a family-run London-based independent publisher based in London, England. It was founded in 1951.John Self"Peter Owen: Sixty years of innovation" Books Blog, ''The Guardian'', 4 July 2011. History The company was founded ...

. p. 236.

References

External links

28 drawings displayed by Bridgeman Art Library.

And The Missing Portrait by Robert Fraser (writer), Robert Fraser
A Portrait of Bettina Shaw-Lawrence by David Kentish and further information concerning the two artists and Lucian Freud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw-Lawrence, Bettina 1921 births 2018 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English painters 21st-century English women artists English etchers English illustrators English portrait painters English women painters Magic realist artists Modern painters Painters from London Women etchers