Liss Llewellyn are delighted to announce our online exhibition ‘Vision and Vernacular: The Art of Kenneth Rowntree’. This selling exhibition celebrates the work of Kenneth Rowntree (1915–1997) throughout his artistic career.

Kenneth Rowntree was a remarkably versatile British artist whose career spanned illustration, mural painting, and fine art. Closely associated with the likes of Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden, he played a key role in the mid-century revival of figurative art in Britain. During World War II, Rowntree contributed to the Recording Britain project, capturing endangered landscapes and buildings with a blend of accuracy and poetic charm. His commission for the 1951 Festival of Britain—murals for the Lion and Unicorn Pavilion—marked a turning point in his practice, reflecting a growing confidence in combining modernist forms with traditional narratives.