Arthur Ralph Middleton Todd (26 October 1891 – 21 November 1966) was a British artist. He was a member of the

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

and well known as a portrait painter in the 1920s and 1930s.

Biography

Todd was born in

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. His father, Ralph Todd (1856–1932) was a successful artist who taught at the Central School of Arts & Crafts in London. The younger Todd received art tuition from

Stanhope Forbes Stanhope Alexander Forbes (18 November 1857 – 2 March 1947) was an Irish artist and a founding member of the influential Newlyn school of painters. He was often called 'the father of the Newlyn School'.Newlyn Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England. Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...

before attending the Central School as a student. Todd served in the British Army during the First World War as a driver with the Army Service Corps. After the War, Todd had a picture exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1918. He enrolled at the

Slade School of Fine 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 ...

and was there throughout 1920 and 1921. When he left the Slade, Todd travelled throughout France, Holland and Italy. Returning to Britain, Todd established himself as a successful artist becoming known for his portraits and his pastel and etching works. Todd's 1939 painting ''The Picture Book'' was acquired for the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

collection in 1940. During the Second World War, Todd received a number of short-term commissions from the

War Artists' Advisory Committee The War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC), was a British government agency established within the Ministry of Information at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and headed by Sir Kenneth Clark. Its aim was to compile a comprehensive artis ...

to depict individuals serving on the British Home Front. Throughout his career, Todd held a number of teaching posts, most notably as a tutor at the

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

between 1946 and 1949, but also as the master of the life class at the

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

in 1939 and as head of drawing and painting at the Leicester School of Art between 1936 and 1939. Todd's last teaching post was at

City and Guilds of London Art School Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit ...

in Kensington from 1950 to 1956.

Memberships

Todd was a member of, or affiliated with, the following organisations: * 1923: Elected associate member of

Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), known until 1991 as the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, is a leading art institution based in London, England. The Royal Society of Painter-Etchers, as it was originally styled, was ...

, * 1929: Elected associate of the

Royal Watercolour Society The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wa ...

, * 1930: Elected Fellow of Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, * 1937: Elected member of the Royal Watercolour Society, * 1939: Elected associate of the

, * 1945: Member,

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) is a society for contemporary artists that was founded in London, England, in 1886 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. The NEAC holds an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries ...

, * 1949: Elected full member of the Royal Academy. * 1958: Elected member of

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 art. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Arthur Ralph Middleton 1891 births 1966 deaths 20th-century English male artists 20th-century English painters Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art British Army personnel of World War I English war artists English male painters English portrait painters Painters from Cornwall People from Helston Royal Academicians Royal Army Service Corps soldiers World War II artists 20th-century British war artists