Ellis, Clifford & Rosemary: ‘Indian Summer’ – SOLD
£850.00
A lovely gouache in strong colour by these highly collected designers, a preparatory design for a poster entitled ‘Indian Summer’, unframed. Please note that the painting has been folded width-ways and whilst this can be detected, it will not detract from its impact once framed.
More images can be provided on request.
Artist: Ellis, Clifford (1907-1985) and Rosemary (1910-1988), signed ‘C&RE 44’
Title and date: Artwork for the poster ‘Indian Summer’, 1944
Size: 81.0 x 53.0 cms.
Out of stock
Description
Artist description:
Clifford Ellis was born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex and studied at St. Martin’s School of Art then at the Regent Street Polytechnic before training to become a teacher and joining the staff at the Polytechnic. In 1931, he married Rosemary Collinson who had also studied at Regent Street, and after their marriage, Clifford and Rosemary worked together as partners on a wide range of artistic projects including designing book jackets, decorating tiles, making ceramics, producing mosaics and especially designing posters for London Transport, the General Post Office and Shell Mex and BP Ltd. They signed their posters C&RE, their initials being in alphabetical order and they are readily recognisable by their vibrant use of colour and form.
In 1936, Clifford Ellis took up the position of Assistant at Bath Technical College and a year later was appointed the first principal of the Academy of Art. The Academy moved to Corsham Court in 1946, the home of the artist Paul Ayshford, Lord Methuen. The Ellis’s continued to engage and invite many young artists to teach at Corsham, a significant number of whom would become key figures in the history of 20th century British art. These included Kenneth Armitage, Henry Cliffe, Terry Frost, Howard Hodgkin, Peter Lanyon and William Scott.