Sir Roger de Grey, (18 April 1918 – 14 February 1995) was a British landscape painter. From 1984 to 1993 he served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

of 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 purp ...

Early life and career

De Grey was the second son (and youngest of three children) of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

Lieutenant-Commander Nigel de Grey (1886–1951) and his wife Florence, daughter of Spencer William Gore and a descendant of

Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran KP, PC (Ire) (25 July 1734 – 8 October 1809) styled The Honourable Arthur Gore from 1758 to 1762 and Viscount Sudley from 1762 to 1773, was an Irish peer and politician. Early life Arran was the eldes ...

and

John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough John William Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, PC (31 August 1781 – 16 May 1847), known as Viscount Duncannon from 1793 to 1844, was a British Whig politician. He was notably Home Secretary in 1834 and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ...

. Nigel de Grey was a grandson of

Thomas de Grey, 5th Baron Walsingham Thomas de Grey, 5th Baron Walsingham (6 July 1804 – 31 December 1870), of Merton Hall, Norfolk, was a British peer. Life Grey was born in Chelsea, the eldest son of the Venerable Thomas de Grey, Archdeacon of Surrey, a clergyman who in 1831 ...

, like his wife, descended from the 4th Earl of Bessborough, and was also descended from the Barons Rendlesham and Viscounts Dillon. He studied art at Chelsea Polytechnic from 1936–1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he was commissioned in the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

. After the War he returned to Chelsea to complete his studies from 1946–1947. His tutors included

Ceri Richards Ceri Giraldus Richards (6 June 1903 – 9 November 1971) was a Welsh painter, print-maker and maker of reliefs. Biography Richards was born in 1903 in the village of Dunvant, near Swansea, the son of Thomas Coslett Richards and Sarah Ric ...

, Robert Medley, Harold Sandys Williamson and

Raymond Coxon Raymond James Coxon (18 August 1896 – 31 January 1997) was a British artist. He enrolled at the Leeds School of Art, the Royal College of Art, and became a teacher in the Richmond School of Art. The creative work of his long and successful ...

. De Grey was a

landscape artist Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composi ...

, often working in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and in France, painting outdoors and then finishing his work in his studio. His first solo exhibition was at the

Thomas Agnew & Sons Thomas Agnew & Sons is a fine arts dealer in London that began life as part of in a print and publishing partnership with Vittore Zanetti in Manchester in 1817 which ended in 1835, when Agnew took full control of the company. The firm opened its Lo ...

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in 1954. Later he exhibited at the

Tate Gallery 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 U ...

and

, as well as internationally. His paintings are still sought after by collectors.

Teaching and administration

De Grey had a long and distinguished career as an art educator: a Lecturer of King's College,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is a ...

(1947–1951), then Master of Painting (1951–1953), at the

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

, he was Senior Tutor, and later Reader in Painting from 1953–1973. From 1973–1995 he was the Principal of the City and Guilds of London Art School. From 1971, he was a Trustee of Paintings in Hospitals and enabled the charity to acquire works by Royal Academicians. He was also a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1984 to 1995. In 1962, Roger de Grey was elected an Associate member of the Royal Academy, becoming a full Academician in 1969. From 1976 until 1984, he was the Treasurer of the RA under Sir Hugh Casson. De Grey succeeded Casson as President in 1984. Roger de Grey was elected Senior RA in October 1993, the year he stepped down from being President. He was elected an honorary member of the Royal West of England Academy of Art (RWA) in 1994.

Family

A great-nephew of the 7th Baron Walsingham, de Grey was knighted in 1991 for "services to British art". The Royal Academy provided an exhibition of his work ''in memoriam'' in 1996. The Tate Gallery and

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council ...

hold several examples of his work. In 1942, he married Flavia Hatt , (''née'' Irwin), also a notable artist, who died in London in 1995, aged 77. Sir Roger and Lady de Grey had three children: Spencer, Robert and Emilia.

References

External links

*
Artnet website page

National Portrait Gallery website page
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Grey, Roger 1918 births 1995 deaths English landscape painters

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Eton College People from Meopham Royal Academicians Royal Armoured Corps officers British Army personnel of World War II

Early life and career

Teaching and administration

Family

See also

References

External links