Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden was born at Braintree in Essex in 1903. He attended the local high school there before studying at the Cambridge School of Art (1919-21). He worked under Paul Nash at the Royal College of Art (1922-26) where he made friends with Eric Ravilious and Douglas Percy Bliss. His talent as an illustrator quickly came to the fore and in 1925 he was commissioned by the Curwen Press to illustrate a booklet and design some patterned paper. Throughout the 1930s he taught at Goldsmith's College and the Royal College of Art. In 1935, he and Eric Ravilious took on Brick House at Great Bardfield, Essex and became the centre of the group of artists generally defined as the Great Bardfield School which included John Nash and Ravilious.

Bawden was made CBE in 1946 and RA in 1956. He later moved to Saffron Walden, Essex continuing to work as indoustriously as ever. He died in 1989, the same year that a major retrospective of his work was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

As Alan Horne has written, "By any standards, Bawden must be considered a master in the art of illustrating books. He had a remarkable feeling for design, and in his best work, his illustrations decorate the page in a typographical as well as a pictorial way. He had an instinct for picking out essential attributes and recording them with relish." (A Dictionary of British Book Illustration, pp.93-94).

References: Douglas Percy Bliss. Edward Bawden, 1979; The world of Edward Bawden, 1973, Horne, Alan. The Dictionary of British Book Illustrators: 93-94; Justin Howes. Edward Bawden: A Retrospective Survey, 1988; Jeremy Greenwood. Edward Bawden: editioned prints, 2005 (hereafter referred to as MG).

Edward Bawden CBE RA RDI (British, 1903-1989)

	Edward Bawden was born at Braintree in Essex in 1903. He attended the local high school there before studying at the Cambridge School of Art (1919-21). He worked under Paul Nash at the Royal College of Art (1922-26) where he made friends with Eric Ravilious and Douglas Percy Bliss. His talent as an illustrator quickly came to the fore and in 1925 he was commissioned by the Curwen Press to illustrate a booklet and design some patterned paper. Throughout the 1930s he taught at Goldsmith's College and the Royal College of Art. In 1935, he and Eric Ravilious took on Brick House at Great Bardfield, Essex and became the centre of the group of artists generally defined as the Great Bardfield School which included John Nash and Ravilious. Bawden was made CBE in 1946 and RA in 1956. He later moved to Saffron Walden, Essex continuing to work as indoustriously as ever. He died in 1989, the same year that a major retrospective of his work was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. As Alan Horne has written, "By any standards, Bawden must be considered a master in the art of illustrating books. He had a remarkable feeling for design, and in his best work, his illustrations decorate the page in a typographical as well as a pictorial way. He had an instinct for picking out essential attributes and recording them with relish." (A Dictionary of British Book Illustration, pp.93-94). References: Douglas Percy Bliss. Edward Bawden, 1979; The world of Edward Bawden, 1973, Horne, Alan. The Dictionary of British Book Illustrators: 93-94; Justin Howes. Edward Bawden: A Retrospective Survey, 1988; Jeremy Greenwood. Edward Bawden: editioned prints, 2005 (hereafter referred to as MG).

		Queens Garden Lithograph in colours on BFK Rives paper with full margins 1983 signed, titled and numbered 91/160 47.5 x 61.5cm. (plate); 63.5 x 77cm. (sheet) £750 Pubished and printed at the Curwen Studio to celebrate the artist's 80th birthday. References: MG: 174.

		Kew Palace Lithograph in colours on BFK Rives paper with full margins 1983 signed, titled and numbered 80/160 47.5 x 61cm. (plate); 63.5 x 77cm. (sheet) £650 This lithograph and Queens Garden, above were both printed from the original linoblocks at the Curwen Studio to celebrate the artist's 80th birthday. References: MG: 173.

		Dunkirk Lithograph in colours, with full margins 1986 signed, titled and inscribed inscribed proof aside from the edition of 75 550 x 755mm. (sheet) SOLD Ref: MG: 176. This lithograph and Among the Marsh Arabs were produced by Bawden to accompany the 75 special copies of the limited edition of Edward Bawden: War Artist edited by Ruari McLean, which in fact never appeared as a limited edition, only a trade edition. The lithographs were printed at the Curwen Studio.

		Among the Marsh Arabs Lithograph in colours, with full margins 1986 signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 75 550 x 755mm. (sheet) SOLD Ref: MG: 177. This lithograph and Dunkirk were produced by Bawden to accompany the 75 special copies of the limited edition of Edward Bawden: War Artist edited by Ruari McLean, which in fact never appeared as a limited edition, only a trade edition. The lithographs were printed at the Curwen Studio. Bawden was appointed one of the first official war artists and was sent to join the British army in France with Barnett Freedman and Edward Ardizzone. He was then sent to the Middle East where he spent two years painting and drawing in often impossible conditions.

		'He smote his father, King Arthur with his sword held in both his hands.' (the Death of King Arthur) Linocut on somerset wove paper 1982 signed and titled by the artist in pencil unnumbered example aside from the edition of 50, (12 (10 for sale) boxed sets of the prints on Japanese Hosho paper, were also issued though the individual prints were numbered but not signed or titled) 260 x 367mm. (image) £795 (framed) References: MG: 170. This particular image of the death of King Arthur was not used in the folio society edition of the book, but issued separately as a print. 50 examples of the individual prints were issued although Greenwood notes that no more than 15 from the edition were probably printed from the projected edition of 50. 'Bawden executed seventy-one linocuts for The Chronicles of King Arthur and spares us none of the gory details of mediaeval life. Here we see Bawden at his best with his use of simplified forms, extraordinary silhouettes and exaggerated details. It is typical of Bawden, who throughout his life remained something of an ironic observer and relished the absurd, that he should leave us this highly personal interpretation of Malory's great work.' (Quoted in MG: p. 14).

		My Cat Wife Linocut 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) SOLD References: MG: 172. From the limited edition portfolio of prints by Edward Bawden produced on behalf of the Royal College of Art in 1984. An additional 50 examples were signed and numbered and sold individually by the artist. The cut is probably a self-portrait with his cat, Emma Nelson.

		Play with Me Linocut 1984 signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 40 240 x 370mm. (sheet) SOLD An example of this print is held at Cecil Higgins Art Gallery Bedford.

		An Old Crab and A Young Coloured linocut cut in 1954 signed, titled and dated 1957 by the artist in pencil proof from 1957, preceding the edition of 50 in 1970 380 x 255mm. (image) This linocut was commissioned by Peter Lewis to illustrate 'A Handbook of Type and Illustration' (1956). The Aesop fable 'An Old Crab and a Young' was chosen, reduced in size and included in the book and a few proofs were made. Then in 1970, Bawden decided to make a series of prints based on the fables and cut a further 8 subjects, in an edition of 50. An example of a proof from 1954 preceding the 1970 edition is also held at Cecil Higgins Art Gallery Bedford. References: Howes, J. Edward Bawden: 146, MG: 085. SOLD

		Brighton Pier giclée print in colours on cotton rag paper 2007 numbered from limited edition of 950 28 x 61cm. (sheet) SOLD

		Peacock and Magpie giclée print in colours on cotton rag paper 2007 numbered from limited edition of 950 42 x 59cm. (sheet) SOLD

		Covent Garden Flower Market giclée print in colours on cotton rag paper 2007 numbered from limited edition of 950 42 x 59cm. (sheet) SOLD

		colour print on wove paper 1956 215 x 155mm. (image/sheet) SOLD A strikingly bold illustration for Louis Macneice's elusive children's title: The Sixpence That Rolled Away.

		colour print on wove paper 1956 215 x 155mm. (image/sheet) SOLD

		colour print on wove paper 1956 215 x 155mm. (image/sheet) SOLD

		colour print on wove paper 1956 215 x 155mm. (image/sheet) SOLD

		Crabs Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) SOLD References: MG: 172. From the limited edition portfolio of prints by Edward Bawden produced on behalf of the Royal College of Art in 1984.

		Alarm Clocks Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) SOLD

		Horse and Cart Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) £130 (framed)

		Parrot Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 29.7 x 21cm. (sheet) £75 (within mount); £130 (framed)

		Humpty Dumpty Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 29.7 x 21cm. (sheet) £75 (within mount); £130 (framed)

		Boats Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) £75 (within mount); £130 (framed)

		Cat Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) £130 (framed)

		Vicious Pet Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 29.7 x 21cm. (sheet) £75 (within mount); £130 (framed)

		Punting Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 21 x 29.7cm. (sheet) SOLD

		Little Cat Photolithograph on paper 1984 From limited edition of 200 29.7 x 21cm. (sheet) SOLD



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Edward Bawden CBE RA RDI (British, 1903-1989)