Harry Rutherford (19031985) was a British painter who is regarded as one of the most important painters of the "Northern School", a group led by

L. S. Lowry Laurence Stephen Lowry ( ; 1 November 1887 – 23 February 1976) was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its vicinity ...

which depicted the post-industrial changes around North West England. He was the first visual artist to present a television programme, and later became President of the

Manchester Academy of Fine Arts The Manchester Academy of Fine Arts (''MAFA'') was founded in 1859 by artists eager to promote art and education. It was originally based in the building on Mosley Street which is now Manchester Art Gallery where annual exhibitions and classes ...

Background

He was born at Market Street, Denton, Manchester, the youngest of four sons of hat trimmer William Rutherford and his wife Mary Swindells. He left school at 14, but while still there attended the Hyde School of Art and continued his studies at the

Manchester School of Art Manchester School of Art in Manchester, England, was established in 1838 as the Manchester School of Design. It is the second oldest art school in the United Kingdom after the Royal College of Art which was founded the year before. It is now par ...

under

Pierre Adolphe Valette Pierre Adolphe Valette (13 October 1876 – 18 April 1942) was a French Impressionist painter who spent most of his career in England. His most acclaimed paintings are urban landscapes of Manchester, now in the collection of Manchester Art ...

; L. S. Lowry was among his fellow pupils. In 1925, Rutherford was the first and youngest pupil to enrol in

Walter Sickert Walter Richard Sickert (31 May 1860 – 22 January 1942) was a German-born British painter and printmaker who was a member of the Camden Town Group of Post-Impressionist artists in early 20th-century London. He was an important influence on d ...

's new school of art in Manchester. His association with Sickert was lifelong, and Sickert referred to Rutherford as "my intellectual heir and successor."

Career

In 1931, Rutherford moved to London. The new medium of television provided opportunities for him to exploit his ability to sketch rapidly. In 193639 and in 1946, Rutherford presented the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

light entertainment Light entertainment encompasses a broad range of television and radio programming that includes comedies, variety shows, game shows, quiz shows and the like. In Great Britain In the early days of the BBC virtually all broadcast entertainment wou ...

programme ''

Cabaret Cartoons ''Cabaret Cartoons'' is a live light entertainment series broadcast by BBC Television 193639 and 1946.BBC Television suspended broadcasting on 1 September 1939 with the outbreak of World War II, and did not resume until June 1946. It was a spin- ...

'',BBC Television suspended broadcasting on 1 September 1939 with the outbreak of World War II, and only resumed in June 1946. in which he drew

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

artists as they performed their acts. In 195056, he starred in his own programme, ''Sketchbook''. While exhibiting in numerous London galleries, he was invited to hold a series of exhibitions in Borneo in 1957, becoming the first western artist to do so. He returned to Hyde in the late 1950s to 17 Nelson Street and was elected President of the

. In his later years, he taught at the Regional College of Art in Manchester, where his pupils included the painter Geoffrey Key.

Collections

Rutherford's work is in several public art collections including: The Royal Academy,

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three c ...

, The Atkinson Gallery,

Gallery Oldham Gallery Oldham is a free-to-view public museum and art gallery in the Cultural Quarter of central Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Design Designed by architects Pringle Richards Sharratt, Gallery Oldham was completed in its original f ...

and Rochdale Art Gallery.

The Rutherford Gallery

In 2008

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan countie ...

opened an exhibition space in Hyde Library to display permanently the town's collection of Rutherford works. The Rutherford Gallery, celebrates the life of the artist. There are two Blue Plaques for Rutherford in Hyde. One is on his former home 17 Nelson Street, keeping a studio next door and there is one on

Hyde Town Hall Hyde Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Street, Hyde, Greater Manchester, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Hyde Borough Council, is a grade II listed building. History After significant industrial growth in t ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* The Northern School: A Reappraisal, Martin Regan, 2016 978-1527203204 * Centre Stage, The Art of Harry Rutherford, Stephen Whittle, Tameside Museums, 2013

External links

* * * Harry Rutherford's work a
Gateway Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Harry British artists 1903 births 1985 deaths