Irene Mary Dowling (6 December 1925 – 6 February 2023), better known as Jane Dowling, was a British artist.

Biography

Dowling was born in London and while studying for a degree at

St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 and gained full college status in 1959. Originally a women's college, it has admitted men since 1979. ...

between 1943 and 1946, she also studied 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 ...

which during World War 2 evacuated from London to the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

in Oxford. Between 1946 and 1963 she took further courses at the

Ruskin School of Art The Ruskin School of Art is the Department of Fine Art at the University of Oxford, England. It is part of Oxford's Humanities Division. History The Ruskin School of Art grew out the Oxford School of Art, which was founded in 1865 and later ...

, the

Byam Shaw School of Art The Byam Shaw School of Art, often known simply as Byam Shaw, was an independent art school in London, England, which specialised in fine art and offered foundation and degree level courses. It was founded in 1910 by Byam Shaw, John Liston Bya ...

and the

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a art school, school of fine arts, 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 ...

in London. Dowling went on to teach at the Byam Shaw School, Maidstone School of Art and 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 ...

. Beginning in 1961 she became a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy, including at the 2019 Summer Exhibition, and from 1974 onwards she had a series of solo shows at the New Grafton Gallery in London and also exhibited with the

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 ...

. During 1984 and 1985, Dowling and her husband, the portrait painter Peter Greenham (1909–1992) had a joint touring exhibition. A retrospective exhibition of her work was held at the Mompesson House in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

in 1992 and further solo shows followed, notably at the Chappel Galleries in 2002. Dowling was elected a member of the

Art Workers' Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of al ...

in 1980, became an honorary member of the

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 fi ...

in 1997 and a member of the Society of Tempera Painters in 1999. Dowling completed a number of commissions for the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

and also one for the Oxford Oratory Church. Several Oxford hospitals, plus the town's

and also

Southampton Art Gallery The Southampton City Art Gallery is an art gallery in Southampton, southern England. It is located in the Civic Centre on Commercial Road. The gallery opened in 1939 with much of the initial funding from the gallery coming from two bequests, on ...

hold examples of her work. Dowling died on 6 February 2023, at the age of 97.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Jane 1925 births 2023 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English painters 21st-century English women artists Alumni of the Byam Shaw School of Art Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design Alumni of the Ruskin School of Art Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Artists from London English women painters