Eric Forbes-Robertson (1865–1935) was a British figure and landscape painter. He was the brother of two actors Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson and

Norman Forbes-Robertson Norman Forbes-Robertson (24 September 1858 – 28 September 1932), known professionally as Norman Forbes, was an English actor and art dealer. He was the brother of actor Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson and a friend of Ellen Terry, Oscar Wilde, ...

Biography

Eric trained at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in the late 1880s. Amongst the other students at that time were

Paul Sérusier Paul Sérusier (9 November 1864 – 7 October 1927) was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism. Education Sérusier was born in Paris. He studied a ...

Pierre Bonnard Pierre Bonnard (; 3 October 186723 January 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist ...

, Édouard Vuillard and Maurice Denis. In August 1890 he travelled to Pont-Aven,

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

with his friend and fellow student Robert Polhill Bevan. It was there that he met

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

and his name is inscribed along with those of

Roderic O'Conor Roderic O'Conor (17 October 1860 – 18 March 1940) was an Irish painter who spent much of his later career in Paris and as part of the Pont-Aven movement. O'Conor's work demonstrates Impressionist and Post-Impressionist influence. Early lif ...

and Armand Séguin in Gauguin's portfolio (now in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

). In 1897 Eric married a Polish art student, Janina Flamm, on the island of

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. Her bridesmaid was a fellow Pole

Stanisława de Karłowska Stanisława de Karłowska (8 May 1876 – 9 December 1952) was a Polish-born artist who was a was a founder member of the The London Group, London Group. Her work combined a modernist style with elements of Polish folk art. Life and work Stanis� ...

and it was here that the latter met her future husband Robert Polhill Bevan. Little is known of the Forbes-Robertsons' later work, although both exhibited at the August 1911 show of the Esperantist Vagabond Club.

References

* Bevan, R.A. ''Robert Bevan 1865-1925. A memoir by his son'' (London, Studio Vista, 1965). * Frances Stenlake. ''Robert Bevan from Gauguin to Camden Town'' (London, Unicorn Press, 2008). * John Yeates. ''NW1, The Camden Town Artists: A social history'' (Somerset, Heale Gallery, 2007).

External links

In the forest, Pont-Aven
(1895 oil on canvas -

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

)
Trois baigneuses
(1897 oil on canvas -

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

)
Adam and Eve
(1895 drawing) {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes-Robertson, Eric 1865 births 1935 deaths Modern painters English landscape painters Artists' Rifles soldiers Académie Julian alumni