Clifford Fishwick (21 June 1923 in
Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
– 22 January 1997 in
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
) was a painter and Principal of
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 ...
who exhibited regularly with the Newlyn and Penwith Societies. Fishwick is regarded as an important if underrated figure in post-war British painting.
Fishwick attended the
Liverpool School of Art. He began teaching at Exeter College of Art and Design in 1947 and was principal from 1958 to 1984.
Fishwick had a close association with
Peter Lanyon
George Peter Lanyon (8 February 1918 – 31 August 1964) was a British painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. Lanyon was one of the most important artists to emerge in post-war Britain. Despite his early death at the age ...
and was a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists from 1952 to 1983. Fishwick exhibited widely, including at 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 ...
and the
Penwith Society of Arts
The Penwith Society of Arts is an art group formed in St Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, in early 1949 by abstract artists who broke away from the more conservative St Ives School. It was originally led by Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, a ...
.
Fishwick lived with his artist wife Patricia (b. 1929) in
Topsham, Devon
Topsham (, also ) is a town in Devon, England, located on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Topsham is a historic port and was designat ...
.
A painting titled ''At the Wheel of Boojum'' signed and dated 'Clifford Fishwick '56' was sold at
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
in 2012 for £2000.
After his death, retrospective exhibitions were held in Exeter and Plymouth.
His work is held at the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
in London,
University of Plymouth, and
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
The Box is a museum, gallery and archive in Plymouth, Devon, England, opened in 2020 housing a collection of about 2 million items. The core of the building was previously Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery which closed in 2016. The building wa ...
.
Further reading
Peter Davis, ''Clifford Fishwick'' St Ives Publishing
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishwick, Clifford
1923 births
1997 deaths
20th-century English painters
English male painters
People from Accrington
Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University
20th-century English male artists