Reginald Grenville Eves (24 May 1876 – 13 June 1941) was a British painter who made portraits of many prominent military, political and cultural figures between the two world wars.

Biography

Eves was born in 1876, the son of William Henry Eves, a London JP. He was educated at University College School and later at the Slade School of Fine Art, between 1891 and 1895, where he studied under

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, Frederick Brown and

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. After the Slade, he lived and worked in Yorkshire for five years, before returning to London. In 1901 he had his first work shown 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 ...

. Eves exhibited in Paris several times and won a silver medal in 1924 and a gold medal in 1926 at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

. He was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1933 and a Royal Academician in 1939. Eves established a successful society portrait practice in London and his subjects included

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, Sir Ernest Shackleton, George VI and Sir Max Beerbohm. The British Army in France 1940 F4134

When the Second World War broke out, Eves was among the first artists offered a full-time, salaried contract by the War Artists' Advisory Committee, WAAC, and along with

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and

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, was sent to France in 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force, BEF. There, Eves mainly painted portraits while based at a hotel in

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. After he returned to Britain in April 1940, Eves salaried contract was allowed to lapse, as it was difficult for high-ranking officers to make time for lengthy portrait settings; he was to paint Gort and all the (BEF) corps commanders. Lieutenant General Alan Brooke sat for him on 23 and 29 April and 27 October but his portrait was not completed. He said that Eves ''should be good as he charges £1500 for a picture in private life''. However he continued to undertake individual commissions for WAAC. Eves died on 13 June 1941. His works form part of the collections of both the Tate and the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

References

External links

*
Portraits by, and of, Reginald Grenville Eves held by the National Portrait Gallery, London

Works in the Imperial War Museum collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eves, Reginald Grenville 1876 births 1941 deaths 19th-century English painters 20th-century English painters Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Artists from London British war artists English male painters People educated at University College School Royal Academicians World War II artists 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists