Graham Vivian Sutherland OM (24 August 1903 – 17 February 1980) was a prolific English artist, renowned for his paintings of abstract landscapes and portraits of public figures. Sutherland's artistic versatility extended to various media, including printmaking, tapestry, and glass design.
Printmaking, particularly of romantic landscapes, dominated Sutherland's artistic output in the 1920s. He initially honed his skills in watercolours before transitioning to oil paints in the 1940s. His surreal oil paintings portraying the Pembrokeshire landscape established him as a prominent British modern artist. Serving as an official war artist during the Second World War, Sutherland depicted industrial scenes on the British home front. Post-war, he shifted towards figurative painting, notably with his 1946 work, "The Crucifixion." Subsequent paintings merged religious symbolism with nature-inspired motifs, such as thorns.
Sutherland's esteemed position in post-war Britain led to a commission for the design of the central tapestry, "Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph," for the new Coventry Cathedral. However, his portraiture commissions in the 1950s sparked controversy, particularly Winston Churchill's strong dislike for Sutherland's depiction of him, leading Lady Spencer-Churchill to have the painting destroyed.
Throughout his career, Sutherland taught at various art colleges, including Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College, where he had previously studied. In 1955, Sutherland and his wife acquired a property near Nice. Living abroad somewhat diminished his standing in Britain. Nevertheless, a visit to Pembrokeshire in 1967, his first in nearly two decades, sparked a creative resurgence, contributing to the restoration of his reputation as a leading British artist.
Hide content again
