Rosa Gwenny Griffiths (25 June 1867 – 22 December 1953) was a Welsh artist known for her portrait and flower paintings.

Biography

Griffiths was born in the Druslyn area of Swansea in south Wales and attended

Swansea Art School , students = 5,765 , undergrad = 4,520 , postgrad = 1,075 , other = 175 FE , city = Swansea , country = Wales, UK , campus = Urban , address = Mount PleasantSwansea SA1 6ED , we ...

before studying at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

in London where she was taught by Alphonse Legros. After graduating from the Slade, Griffiths then studied in Paris at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. She first exhibited in London in 1892 with the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

, showing a painting titled ''Madame Chrysantheme'', and then regularly at the Royal Academy and the

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commissi ...

. On occasion she showed works in Budapest at the Salon Nemzeti and in 1914 had works shown at the Paris Salon. Griffiths was a member of the

Women's International Art Club The Women's International Art Club, briefly known as the Paris International Art Club, was founded in Paris in 1900. The club was intended to "promote contacts between women artists of all nations and to arrange exhibitions of their work", and ...

and during 1906 and 1907 served as the club's honorary secretary. She had a solo exhibition at the

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is the public art gallery of the City and County of Swansea, in Wales, United Kingdom. The gallery is situated in Alexandra Road, near Swansea railway station, opposite the old Swansea Central Library. History The ...

in Swansea in 1922. Griffiths painted a number of notable portraits. Her subjects included Dame

Margaret Lloyd George Dame Margaret Lloyd George (; 4 November 1864 – 20 January 1941) was a Welsh humanitarian and one of the first seven women magistrates appointed in Britain in 1919. She was the wife of Prime Minister David Lloyd George from 1888 until her deat ...

, Lord Justice Banks, the Viscountess Hawarden and the trustees of Swansea Hospital. For a time Griffiths lived in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

but spent the duration of World War II in Wales and then returned to France when the conflict ended. She died in Cannes on 22 December 1953, aged 86.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Gwenny 1867 births 1953 deaths 19th-century Welsh painters 19th-century Welsh women artists 20th-century Welsh painters 20th-century Welsh women artists Académie Colarossi alumni Alumni of Swansea Metropolitan University Académie Julian alumni Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Artists from Swansea Welsh women painters