The Artist's Son, Ivor (1908–1982) (gcf01051)

Ivor Williams (1908 – 1982) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

artist. He was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of the Welsh painter Christopher Williams and Emily Appleyard (sister of the artist Fred Appleyard). He trained at the

Central School of Art and Design The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cr ...

and later the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

where he was awarded first prize for portraiture. He shared with his father a particular aptitude for portraiture and large scale figure compositions; biblical and commemorative commissions. He exhibited regularly in one-man and group shows and contributed to national exhibitions: the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commissio ...

and the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

. His major public works include ''Field-Marshal Montgomery receiving the freedom of the City of Newport'' (1945) (now in council chamber at the

Newport Civic Centre Newport Civic Centre ( cy, Canolfan Ddinesig Casnewydd) is a municipal building in Godfrey Road in Newport, South Wales. The civic centre, which is the headquarters of Newport City Council, is a Grade II* Listed building. History The first t ...

), ''The Welch Regiment receiving the freedom of the City of Cardiff'' (1950), ''Sir Winston Churchill receiving the freedom of the City of Cardiff'' (1956) and ''The Investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle'' (1969). In later years he devoted much of his time working on large religious subjects: ''The Healing of the Sick of the Palsy'' (1951–4) (on display at

Aberystwyth University , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

), ''The Leaping Beggar'' (1960–61), ''The Raising of Lazarus'' (1967–9) (both on display at the

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

) and ''The Return of the Prodigal Son''. Throughout his career he remained committed to the development and promotion of Art in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. He died in Cardiff at the age of 74. He married Elizabeth Pocock. Together they had 4 daughters including the artist Annie Williams and the potter Sophia Hughes. His works are in the collections of the

National Museum of Wales National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum,

and the

University of Wales, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest Academic degree, degree awarding institution in Wale ...

References

General references

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ivor 1908 births 1982 deaths People from Llandaff 20th-century Welsh painters 20th-century Welsh male artists Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design Welsh male painters