Anthony Colbert (1934–2007) was a British illustrator and painter. Born in

Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the nav ...

on 17 July 1934, he grew up in Littlehampton, West Sussex, and studied at Worthing College of Art, and, during his

National service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

, at Farnham School of Art.John Lawrence
Obituary: Anthony Colbert
''The Guardian'', 26 September 2007 After three yearsDavid Buckman
Artists in Britain since 1945 Chapter C
p. 112, Goldmark Gallery, 2012 working for commercial art studios in Brighton and London, he joined the staff of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' in 1959 as an editorial illustrator, working there for eight years. He was known for his illustrations for "a series of campaigning articles on crime, mental health and social welfare." Illustrator and engraver John Lawrence said of him, "He was an innovative illustrator who had the gift to work quickly and imaginatively so his images were very suitable for newspapers." From the mid-1960s he had a parallel career illustrating books, including an edition of Charlotte Brontë's ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' for The Folio Society (1965),Anthony Colbert's illustrations for ''Jane Eyre'' at Jane Eyre Illustrated
/ref> and collaborations with Tony Parker on ''Five Women'' (1965) and ''People of the Streets'' (1968). In 1967 he went to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

with the Save the Children Fund to document the plight of children in a war zone, and his drawings were exhibited at the AIA gallery later that year. In 1968 he went freelance, working for a variety of clients including ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', '' New Society'', the environmental magazine ''

Resurgence Resurgence may refer to: *Resurgence (spring), spring discharge, where water comes from the ground *Resurgence (pest) of (usually agricultural) pests, due for example, to the misuse of pesticides *Resurgence (Dutch Revolt), the period between 157 ...

'', the '' Times Educational Supplement'', the '' Times Literary Supplement'' and ''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

'', as well billboard advertisements, including a campaign for

Bull's Blood Realgar ( ), also known as "ruby sulphur" or "ruby of arsenic", is an arsenic sulfide mineral with the chemical formula α-. It is a soft, sectile mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, or in granular, compact, or powdery form, often in assoc ...

wine. He continued illustrating books, including

James Riordan James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

's ''Tales from Tartary'' (1978), and wrote and illustrated two picture books, ''Amanda Has a Surprise'' (1971) and ''Amanda Goes Dancing'' (1972). For twenty years he lectured part-time at a number of art schools, including Camberwell College of Arts,

Brighton College of Art Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and

Exeter College of Art and Design Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in Exeter, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become Plymouth University in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s w ...

, and was an external assessor at Goldsmiths' College for three years. He took up painting landscapes in 1986, exhibiting them in annual solo shows at galleries in

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...

Pembridge Pembridge is a village and civil parish in Arrow valley in Herefordshire, England. The village is on the A44 road about east of Kington and west of Leominster. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bearwood, Lower Bearwood, Lower Broxwo ...

and Kington. He moved to Staunton-on-Arrow,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

, in 1988, and later to

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, where he fell ill with cancer. He died there on 29 June 2007, survived by his two daughters, Amanda and Gemma, and his son Laurence. He was divorced.

References

External links

Illustrations by Anthony Colbert at B. L. Kearley Illustration Agency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colbert, Anthony 1934 births 2007 deaths British illustrators People from Newport, Isle of Wight The Observer people