Elizabeth Muntz (October 1894 – March 1977) was a Canadian-born artist based in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, noted for her sculptures and paintings.

Early life and education

Muntz was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada and attended

Bishop Strachan School The Bishop Strachan School (BSS; Strachan pronounced "Strawn") is an Anglican day and boarding school for girls in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school has approximately 900 students, including 80 boarding students, ranging from Junior Kindergart ...

. Her aunt, to whom she was close, was the Canadian painter of women and children,

Laura Muntz Lyall Laura Muntz Lyall (June 18, 1860 – December 9, 1930) was a Canadian Impressionist painter, known for her sympathetic portrayal of women and children. Life and work Laura Adeline Muntz was born at Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Engla ...

. Elizabeth Muntz studied at

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

before attending the

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the Acadé ...

in Paris. Her sister Isabelle Hope Muntz was a renowned medievalist. They lived together in Apple Tree Cottage in Chaldon.

Sculpture and painting

While in Paris, Muntz studied with

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important fi ...

, and is considered part of the Maillolesque tradition. Muntz arrived in England in the mid-1920s and while in London, she studied under

Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (15 March 1940 – 11 November 2019) was a British Labour Party politician. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015, he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 ...

. Muntz was a member of The Artist-Craftsmen Group in 1926 followed by the

London Group The London Group is a society based in London, England, created to offer additional exhibiting opportunities to artists besides the Royal Academy of Arts. Formed in 1913, it is one of the oldest artist-led organisations in the world. It was form ...

, later becoming a member of the Isle of Purbeck Arts Club. She exhibited regularly at London Group Exhibitions between 1923 and 1938, also showing her work in 1926 at The Modern Group of Artist-Craftsmen Second Exhibition and with the

Seven and Five Society The Seven and Five Society was an art group of seven painters and five sculptors created in 1919 and based in London. The group was originally intended to encompass traditional, conservative artistic sensibilities. The first exhibition catalogue s ...

at the

Beaux Arts Gallery Beaux Arts Gallery was a gallery at 1 Bruton Place, London, England. It was known as a preeminent center for promoting avant-garde art until its closure in 1965. Founded and operated by portrait sculptor Frederick Lessore in 1923, the gallery wa ...

the same year. In May 1932, Muntz exhibited drawings and sculpture at the Cooling Gallery, London. In the 1950s Muntz exhibited at the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and ...

in 1952, The Exhibition of the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

from 1952 to 1955, and the Royal Glasgow Institute in 1954 and 1955. In the 1960s, Muntz was commissioned to create a sculpture of King Harold for Waltham Abbey, Essex. During the 1930s, Muntz's work was featured several times in

Apollo Magazine ''Apollo'' is an English-language monthly magazine covering the visual arts of all periods from antiquity to the present day. History and profile ''Apollo'' was founded in 1925, in London. The contemporary ''Apollo'' features a mixture of revie ...

. Locals from the area around her Dorset home were known to sit for her as models. In the 1960s, Muntz ran a summer school, employing sculptors including Alan Collins. A memorial stone to

Llewelyn Powys Llewelyn Powys (13 August 1884 – 2 December 1939) was a British essayist, novelist and younger brother of John Cowper Powys and T. F. Powys. Family Powys was born in Dorchester, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys (1843–1923), ...

carved by Muntz, who lived in a neighbouring village, is located on the Dorset Cliffs. Muntz was the first elected woman freeman of The Ancient Order of Purbeck Marblers and Stone Cutters.

Works held in Collections

Paintings and sculptures by Elizabeth Muntz are held in several British collections, including the following works,

References

Bibliography

External links

Works by or after Elizabeth Muntz on Art UK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muntz, Elizabeth 1894 births 1977 deaths Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière Artists from Toronto Canadian women painters Canadian women sculptors OCAD University alumni People from Old Toronto 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian women artists Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom