Kathleen Saywell Allen (1906–1983) was a British painter, muralist, designer and art teacher. Allen is known for her urban landscapes and, in particular, scenes depicting post-war rebuilding in London.

Biography

Allen was born in the

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

area of London and, due to a prolonged childhood illness, was home-schooled until she was 14 years old, when she attended Bromley Country School for Girls between 1920 and 1924. Eventually she enrolled in the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

. Upon graduating from the RCA in 1928, Allen taught art in a number of schools in London and the Midlands before spending time painting murals in Kent and Warwickshire. In 1936 she returned to London to set up a studio in

Fetter Lane Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London, England. It forms part of the A4 road (England), A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn. History The street was originally called F ...

and to study at 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 ...

. During World War II, Allen lived in London and as well as teaching art, spent one day a week sketching scenes in factories undertaking work for the war effort. Most of her war pieces, and her earlier work, was lost when her studio was destroyed in the

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, several ships of the Prussian, Imperia ...

. 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 ...

purchased one of her surviving watercolours entitled ''Tacking Boots'' which is now in the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

. The work depicts a woman in a black dress behind a tacking machine, working on a black boot. In October 1959 her work was featured in the ''Some Women Artists'' Exhibition at the

. From 1938 until 1948 Allen served as a committee member and exhibition secretary of the

Artists' International Association The Artists' International Association (AIA) was an organisation founded in London in 1933 out of discussion among Pearl Binder, Clifford Rowe, Misha Black, James Fitton, James Boswell, James Holland, Edward Ardizzone, Peter Laszlo Peri'Art ...

. After the war, Allen was appointed as a senior lecturer at

Goldsmiths' College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

and worked there until 1966 when she retired from the post of principal lecturer and head of art and design to concentrate on painting full-time. In 1954, Allen was elected a member of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers. Allen's work is included in a number of public collections, including the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum,

Morley College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the ...

, and

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

. The

also holds a file in its archive on Allen, which includes biographical details, work submissions to the museum, and a copy of the leaflet for the ''Some Women Artists exhibition.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Kathleen 1906 births 1983 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century British women painters Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the Royal College of Art Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Artists from the London Borough of Hounslow British women muralists English muralists 20th-century English women painters British modern painters People from Chiswick World War II artists 20th-century British war artists