Leonard Appelbee

Leonard Appelbee, (13 November 1914 – 12 June 2000), was an English painter and printmaker, most notable for his portraits and still-life paintings.[1][2]

Leonard Appelbee
Born(1914-11-13)13 November 1914
Fulham, London
Died12 June 2000(2000-06-12) (aged 85)
Aberdeen
NationalityBritish
Education
Known forPainting, printmaking

Life and work

Appelbee was born in Fulham, the son of a coppersmith. He attended Goldsmiths College of Art from 1931 to 1934, before studying at the Royal College of Art until 1938.[3] In 1939 he produced a poster design, Wimbledon Championships, for London Transport.[4] Whilst at the RCA, Appelbee met his future wife, the artist Frances Macdonald. Appelbee served in the Army throughout World War II. Early in the war he was in charge of a mobile anti-aircraft battery before taking part in classified operations for the Special Operations Executive.[5] At the end of the war Appelbee completed two short commissions for the War Artists' Advisory Committee, one on returning former prisoners of war and the other of a scientist.[6]

After the war, Appelbee had works exhibited at the Royal Academy initially in 1947 and then on a regular basis thereafter. His first solo show was held at the Leicester Galleries in 1948. In 1951, the Arts Council commissioned large paintings from both Appelbee and Macdonald for the exhibition 60 Paintings for '51, which was part of the Festival of Britain celebrations in London. Macdonald contributed a painting of Penrhyn Quarry, entitled The Welsh Singer, whilst Appelbee produced the painting One-man Band.[7] Appelbee taught at the Bournemouth College of Art but lost his job after the College implemented the recommendations of the Coldstream Report on the future teaching of art.[5] He continued to paint and exhibit. He produced a number of fine portraits, notably for both Eton College and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge,[1] but was also well known for his still-life paintings of fish and other sea creatures.[8][9] He also completed commissions for Sir Edward Marsh and for Essex County Council.[10] In 1970, Appelbee won the Silver Medal at the Paris Salon and in 1977 he had a solo show at Plymouth.[10] After 1977, a badly broken leg inhibited him from standing at an easel to paint and he turned to picture framing and then to writing verse. An illustrated volume of his poetry, That Voice was published by the Hillside Press in 1980.[11] In 1989 Appelbee and Macdonald moved from the West Country to Kincardine-on-Forth and then to Aberdeen, to be near their only daughter.[5]

Works by Appelbee are held in the Imperial War Museum, the Tate and several regional museums in the United Kingdom, including Aberdeen Art Gallery, Leamington Spa Art Gallery and the collection of Leeds University.[10]

References
  1. British Council. "Leonard Appelbee (1914-2000)". British Council. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  2. Grant M. Waters (1975). Dictionary of British Artists Working 1900-1950. Eastbourne Fine Art.
  3. Frances Spalding (1990). 20th Century Painters and Sculptors. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 1-85149-106-6.
  4. Teri J Edelstein, ed. (2010). Art for All. Yale Center for British Art / Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300152975.
  5. David Buckman (24 June 2000). "Leonard Appelbee". The Herald (Scotland). Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  6. Imperial War Museum. "War artist archive - Leonard Appelbee". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  7. Christopher Proudlove (2011). "Forgotten artist of true genius". WriteAntiques blog. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  8. Tate. "Display caption The King Crab (1938)". Tate. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  9. Mary Ann Wingfield (1992). A Dictionary of Sporting Artists 1650-1990. Antique Collectors' Club.
  10. Liss Fine Art. "Leonard Appelbee". Liss Fine Art. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  11. Alan Horne (1994). The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 1-85149-1082.
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