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Julian Trevelyan | |
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| Born | Julian Otto Trevelyan (1910-02-20)20 February 1910 |
| Died | 12 July 1988(1988-07-12) (aged 78) Hammersmith, London, England |
| Education | |
| Known for | |
| Notable work | Thames Suite (1969) |
| Movement | British Surrealist Group |
| Spouses | |
| Elected | Royal Academician (19 May 1986) |
Julian Otto TrevelyanRA (20 February 1910 – 12 July 1988) was an English artist and poet.
Trevelyan was the only child to survive to adulthood ofRobert Calverley Trevelyan and his wife Elizabeth van der Hoeven. His grandfather was the liberal politicianSir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, and his uncle the historianGeorge Macaulay Trevelyan; he is the great-uncle of his namesake,Julian Trevelyan the pianist.
Julian Trevelyan was educated atBedales School andTrinity College,Cambridge, where he read English Literature.
He moved to Paris to become an artist, enrolling atAtelier Dix-Sept,Stanley William Hayter's engraving school, where he learned etching. He worked alongside artists includingMax Ernst,Oskar Kokoschka,Joan Miró andPablo Picasso.
In 1935, Trevelyan bought Durham Wharf, beside theriver Thames inHammersmith, London. This became his home and studio for the rest of his life and was a source ofartistic inspiration to him.[1] He became a confirmedSurrealist and exhibited at theInternational Surrealist Exhibition, held at theNew Burlington Galleries in London.
From 1950 to 1955, Trevelyan taughthistory of art andetching at theChelsea School of Art.
From 1955 to 1963, Trevelyan worked at theRoyal College of Art and became Head of the Etching Department. Because of his enthusiasm in his work and the desire to share it with others, Trevelyan became a highly influential teacher, with students includingDavid Hockney,Ron Kitaj andNorman Ackroyd. He was an important leader of modern print techniques and today is regarded as a silent driving force behind the etching revolution of the 1960s.
In 1969, he produced theThames Suite, a collection of 12 views of the Thames from its upper reaches inOxford andHenley-on-Thames down to the tidal stretches of London and the Estuary.[2]
Along with other artists such asRoland Penrose, during the Second World War, Trevelyan served as aCamouflage Officer. He was a member of theRoyal Engineers from 1940 to 1943, serving in North Africa and Palestine.[3]
You cannot hide anything in the desert.[4]
Arriving in the "Western Desert" town ofTobruk, North Africa, Trevelyan realized that standard British army green and brown splotches were ineffective as desert camouflage. He and the other camoufleurs, working underHugh Cott andGeoffrey Barkas, became expert at desert camouflage and deception. By 1942, they were able to deceive the GermanAfrika Korps, creating a dummy army which successfully tied down German forces, while real tanks were concealed or disguised as trucks and other equipment.[4]
In July 1986, Trevelyan was awarded a senior fellowship at the Royal College of Art and in September 1987 he was appointed aRoyal Academician.
He married the potterUrsula Darwin, daughter ofBernard Darwin and his wifeElinor (née Monsall) on 30 July 1934.[3] She was a great-granddaughter ofCharles Darwin; their marriage was dissolved in 1950. Their son is the film-makerPhilip Trevelyan.
Trevelyan's second wife was the painterMary Fedden; they married in 1951.[3]
Trevelyan died on 12 July 1988 in Hammersmith, London.
Trevelyan's first solo exhibition was at theLefevre Gallery in 1937.[3]
His work has been exhibited at Waddington Galleries (commissioned a series of etchings), New Grafton Gallery, Bohun Gallery,River and Rowing Museum inHenley-on-Thames, the Bloomsbury Gallery,Messum's, the New Burlington Galleries inLondon, and Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, among other places.[5]
In 1998 a major Retrospective "Julian Trevelyan:The Imaginative Impulse" was held at the Royal College of Art which subsequently toured to Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; Laing Gallery Newcastle, andMercer Art Gallery, Harrogate with accompanying catalogue published by Bohun. Catalogue Raisonne of Prints edited by Silvie Turner launched at Royal Academy.. 'Julian Trevelyan Retrospective of Etchings' at Bohun Gallery with opening of River & Rowing Museum mounting 'Julian Trevelyan: River Thames Etchings'.
To celebrate the centenary of his birth, an exhibition of his prints was held at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester from 10 May to 13 June 2010.
Bohun Gallery handles the artist's estate, and stages regular exhibitions of his paintings and etchings.
105 of his artworks are now held in the collection of theTate Gallery.[3]
Trevelyan recorded some of his experiences in his bookIndigo days, MacGibbon and Kee, London, 1957.
Bohun Gallery held a major retrospective of the artist's work 'Julian Trevelyan: Picture Language' 23 April - 1 June 2013, which included previously unseen paintings and etchings.[5] The exhibition launched the new monograph on Julian Trevelyan, written by his son Philip Trevelyan.
