SKU: 11575
Kathleen Guthrie
(1905 - 1981)
Family Outing
£900
Forthcoming
Kathleen Guthrie (1905 - 1981)
Signed and titled
Silkscreen and crayon
Size:
Height – 30cm
Width – 25cm
Literature: Llewellyn, Sacha, et al. Women Only Works on Paper. Liss Llewellyn, 2021, p. 80.
It is likely that this collage, White, Red and Blue Circles in Square, dates to the late 1930s when Kathleen Guth-
rie met John Cecil Stephenson (1889-1965), whom she married in 1941. The influence of the Circle group
‚Äì whose activities centred on the Mall Studios where the couple lived ‚Äì can be seen in Guthrie’s design.
Although Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth moved to Cornwall in 1939, Henry Moore replaced them
as Guthrie’s immediate neighbour (taking over the lease at no. 7 Mall Studios) and Piet Mondrian became a
regular visitor, living during most of the year in nearby Parkhill Road. Alexander Calder was also a frequent
guest and one of his mobiles, acquired by the pair, remained hanging in their space.
Guthrie was one of the most gifted silk screen printmakers of her generation. In what might be termed a
collaboration, either shortly before or after the death of Stephenson, she reproduced, as silk screens, three
of his iconic Abstracts from 1936, 1937 and 1938.
Silk screen print by Kathleen Guthrie
from a painting by Cecil Stephenson 1938, (same size). Original
painting bought by Anthony D’Offay
Issue in an edition of 14
Piet Mondrian photographed in a Hampstead garden by John Cecil Stephenson 1939
Estate of John Cecil Stephenson/Tate Archive
Kathleen Guthrie (1905-1981) studied at the Slade School under Henry Tonks, (1922-24) and at the Royal College of Art (1925). At the Slade she met Robin Guthrie (1902-1971) whom she married in 1927. In 1930 Robin Guthrie and Rodney Burn (1899-1984), a fellow student from the Slade, were invited, on the recommendation of Tonks, to go to America and become co-directors of the Boston School of Fine Art. This two year appointment allowed Kathleen to see the New England countryside, especially around Wilmington, Vermont, where they spent the summer vacations. In 1932 she had a solo show of figure paintings and landscapes at Boston’s Stace Home Gallery.
From the 1930’s onwards Kathleen exhibited widely, especially at The New English Art Club and The Royal Academy. Her work from this period, which consisted mostly of still-lifes, landscapes and genre scenes, was painted in a whimsical figurative style.
In 1941, following the breakdown of her marriage to Robin Guthrie, Kathleen married Cecil Stephenson, a member of the group of constructivist artists led by Ben Nicholson. From this point on her work moved increasingly towards abstraction. In the 1960’s she embarked on her Camelot Series, bold, hard-edged compositions of contrasting forms arranged as pure fields of colour. These formed the main body of work exhibited in 1963 at the New End Gallery and her retrospective at the Drian Galleries in 1966.
In the mid 1960’s Kathleen was introduced to silk screen printing and become one the most accomplished practitioners of her generation. The main body of these works were inspired by paintings from her Camelot series and Stephenson’s iconic images including Egg Tempera 1936 and Egg Tempera 1937.
With thanks to artbiogs.co.uk
EXHIBITION LIST
Individual exhibitions:
1932 Grace Horne Gallery, Boston, USA 1947 Little Gallery, Piccadilly, London 1951 Kalman Gallery, Manchester
1963 New End Gallery, Hampstead, London 1966 Drian Gallery, London 1968 The Art Gallery, Brighton
1968/69 Trentham Gallery, Emsworth, Hampshire 1970 Forge Gallery, Cookham, Middlesex
1972 Erica Bourne Gallery, Golders Green, London 1974 Camden Arts Centre, Finchley, London 1977 Coach House Gallery, Guernsey 1977 Centaur Gallery, Highgate, London
Group exhibitions(WIAC, Free Painters, Hampstead Artists Council, London Group, etc.), at: King Street Gallery, Cambridge
AIA Gallery, London
New Vision Centre, London
FBA Gallery, Suffolk Street, London (WIAC & FP)
Gallery Greuze, Paris, France
Pittsburgh, USA
Galleria Numero, Florence (WIAC)
Mixed exhibitions, at:
London Galleries: Goupil Gallery, Royal Academy, National Gallery (war pictures official purchase), London Group, Redfern Gallery, Leicester Galleries, Gimpel Fils, Whitechapel Art Gallery (Guggenheim Award Exhibition), Drian Gallery
Others: Galerie Herv , Paris; Leicestershire County Hall
