Art on a Postcard x St Wilfrid's Hospice: The Paintings and Ceramics

About 

Robert Tavener (1920 - 2004), illustrator and printmaker, was born in London. After six years war service he attended Hornsey College of Art (1946-1950). He moved to Eastbourne in 1953 and became head of Printmaking at Eastbourne College of Art and Design from 1953, later to become vice principal until he retired in 1980. He also taught at St Martins School of Art for one day a week. He did much illustration work as well as commissions for organisations such as Shell, the BBC, and London Transport. He was a senior fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. His work is held in many public collections including the V & A Museum and the Government Art Collection. 

Whether images of boats, guardsmen in their long-plumed helmets, English cathedrals, or rolling landscapes Robert’s prints are varied, beautiful, bold and colourful. He described his work as being: "English Countryside and English Architecture. Shape, pattern, colour, texture, design. In other words, my subject matter is a personal interpretation of the richness, variety, beauty, and the underlying relationship with the past, of our landscape and building". 

Robert lived in the same house in Eastbourne for 50 years with his wife, Catherine, where they brought up their daughter, Mary. The house, an old coach house, was at the foot of the Downs, which he said provided him with enough subject matter to last him indefinitely. After Robert Tavener retired from Eastbourne College of Art and Design he continued to produce his work until the printing press became too heavy for him to use. He also did some teaching on residential art courses. After his wife died in 1998 he became increasingly ill, having suffered for many years with a rare circulatory illness. He died in July 2004 at the age of 84, having worked as a printmaker for over 50 years. 

Education 

At the end of the war Robert was given the opportunity to study art with the foundation college of the Rhine Army in the art and design faculty of Gottingen University. There he studied drawing and painting from June 1945 to February 1946. 

He attended Hornsey College of Art from 1946 until 1950. He graduated with the National Diploma in Design, specialising in lithography. He also completed his Art Teachers Diploma. His first teaching job in 1950, was as an art teacher at Temple school in Strood and later at the Medway College of Art in Rochester. 

Select Exhibitions/Awards 

Robert Tavener held many one man shows and successfully sold his work over the years. His work was accepted for 34 years in succession at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. He was a senior fellow of the Royal Society of Painter/Printmakers where he exhibited in 30 shows. His work is held in more than 25 public collections in the UK alone, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Government Art Collection. 

Gallery Representation 

Emma Mason Gallery. This print has been generously donated by Emma Mason Gallery. For more information about Emma Mason, please visit their website and Instagram. 

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