Rosemary Rutherford

Rosemary Rutherford
Born1 September 1912
Kings Norton, England
Died20 June 1972(1972-06-20) (aged 59)
Lambeth, London
Alma materSlade School of Fine Art
Known forPainting, stained-glass artist

Rosemary Ellen Rutherford (1 September 1912—20 June 1972) was a British artist notable for her paintings and stained glass designs.[1]

Biography

Rutherford was born at Kings Norton in Worcestershire and spent part of her childhood in Broomfield near Chelmsford where her father, who was originally from County Down, was a church rector.[2][3] Rutherford subsequently studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and then took a teaching post in Colchester.[1][3]

During World War II, Rutherford was a volunteer with the Red Cross undertaking a variety of duties, including driving a mobile canteen to military sites.[1] She also worked as a nurse with a Voluntary Aid Detachment, VAD, unit attached to the Royal Navy.[4] She received a drawing permit from the War Artists' Advisory Committee to record the work of her fellow VAD nurses and their patients.[3][4][5]

After the war, Rutherford spent some time helping Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines in running the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing.[2] She established a studio at Walsham le Willows, where her brother was the local vicar, and designed a number of stained glass windows for churches in Essex and Suffolk while continuing to paint still-life and figure pictures.[1][6] She exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy on at least two occasions, in 1937 and 1947, with the New English Art Club and was elected a member of the Art Workers Guild in 1970.[3] Rutherford died at Lambeth in London in 1972 and a memorial exhibition was held at The Minories gallery in Colchester the same year.[3] Several British public collections hold examples of her work including the National Maritime Museum, the Ingram Collection of Modern British Art and the Imperial War Museum in London.[4][5][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Rutherford, Rosemary". Suffolk Artists. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 2, M to Z. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0-953260-95-X.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sara Gray (2019). British Women Artists. A Biographical Dictionary of 1000 Women Artists in the British Decorative Arts. Dark River. ISBN 978-1-911121-63-3.
  4. ^ a b c Richard Moss (12 October 2015). "Cache of unseen World War Two artworks acquired by National Maritime Museum". Culture 24. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Rosemary Rutherford". The Ingram Collection of Modern British Art. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Divine Art St Mary's Church, Boxford". BBC Suffolk. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Search our Collection; Rutherford, Rosemary". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 14 March 2021.