Edward Bawden CBE, RA (1903-89)

A British painter, illustrator and graphic artist, known for his technical expertise in linocuts and his clear, simple and bold designs which are highly distinctive. Born in Essex, he trained at the Cambridge Art School and on a scholarship at the Royal College of Art (RCA), School of Design in London, under the tutelage of Paul Nash, and formed a close working relationship with fellow student  Eric Ravilious. In the 1920s Curwen Press commissioned him to design a series of posters for London Transport and Shell, thus began his career in illustration. He held his first solo exhibition in London in 1933. After serving as an official war artist, Bawden taught at the RCA, and worked as an illustrator for Penguin Books and Faber & Faber, and was elected to the Royal Academy in 1956 where he also later worked as a tutor. His work is held in many private and public collections, including Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Imperial War Museum, London.