Vita Gollancz
Encyclopedia
Vita Gollancz was a British painter
, printmaker, illustrator
and draughtsman
.
and his wife Ruth Gollancz
née Lowy - an artist who had studied at the Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks
. Painting and drawing featured prominently in Vita's early life, not only from the influence of her mother, but from the many established art luminaries that visited their home. Vita read Modern History at Girton College Cambridge University becoming the Sparke History Scholar and also the Chairman of the Cambridge University Labour Club
. After graduating she worked from 1952-1962 as manager of Sir Hugh Casson
and Neville Conder's architectural practice, and subsequently as Assistant and draughtswoman for Sir Basil Spence from 1964-1971. She then returned to painting in her thirties, first studying at Chelsea School of Art and at Byam Shaw
and the City and Guilds Schools of Art. She also studied etching with Henry Williamson
.
Among the many exhibitions which have included her work have been the New English Art Club
, the Royal Society of British Artists
and the Royal Academy
Summer Exhibitions. A solo exhibition at the Annexe Gallery was followed by regular studio shows.
In the late 1960s Vita regularly went with a group of artists led by Peter Garrard to paint in the Midi, near Uzes. In the 1980s she travelled around the Mediterranean, painting Crete and the Greek Islands - her works from this period are almost abstract.
John Kenworthy-Browne commented that, "her landscape paintings bring to mind an elusive concept of Constable
's, the Chiaroscuro of nature... that power which creates space."
In 1980, Vita Gollancz was elected to Associate Member status of the Royal Society of British Artists
.
Vita's sister Livia Ruth Gollancz is a noted musician who later became controlling director of Victor Gollancz Ltd, on the death of their father. Both sisters contributed to their father Victor Gollancz's 1968 autobiography Reminiscences of Affection; Vita provided illustrations, whilst Livia penned the foreword.
Various group shows:
Solo shows:
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, printmaker, illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and draughtsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
.
Life and work
Born in 1926, Vita Gollancz was the fourth daughter of the publisher Victor GollanczVictor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
and his wife Ruth Gollancz
Ruth Gollancz
Lady Ruth Gollancz née Lowy was a British artist and wife of Sir Victor Gollancz.-Life and work:Ruth was the daughter of Ernest Daniel Löwy, a stockbroker. Ruth Gollancz studied art at the Slade school of art from 1909-12 under the direction of Henry Tonks. Her contemporaries at the Slade included...
née Lowy - an artist who had studied at the Slade School of Art under Henry Tonks
Henry Tonks
Henry Tonks, FRCS was a British draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a caricaturist...
. Painting and drawing featured prominently in Vita's early life, not only from the influence of her mother, but from the many established art luminaries that visited their home. Vita read Modern History at Girton College Cambridge University becoming the Sparke History Scholar and also the Chairman of the Cambridge University Labour Club
Cambridge University Labour Club
The Cambridge Universities Labour Club is a political society whose predecessor was first set up in 1905, which now seeks to unite socialist and social democratic students at Cambridge University with the Labour Party by propagating "the values of Clause 4 of the Labour Party’s constitution, to...
. After graduating she worked from 1952-1962 as manager of Sir Hugh Casson
Hugh Casson
Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson, KCVO, RA, RDI, was a British architect, interior designer, artist, and influential writer and broadcaster on 20th century design. He is particularly noted for his role as director of architecture at the 1951 Festival of Britain on London's South Bank.Casson's family...
and Neville Conder's architectural practice, and subsequently as Assistant and draughtswoman for Sir Basil Spence from 1964-1971. She then returned to painting in her thirties, first studying at Chelsea School of Art and at Byam Shaw
Byam Shaw
John Byam Liston Shaw , commonly known as Byam Shaw, was an Indian-born British painter, illustrator, designer and teacher.-Family:...
and the City and Guilds Schools of Art. She also studied etching with Henry Williamson
Henry Williamson
Henry William Williamson was an English naturalist, farmer and prolific author known for his natural and social history novels. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book Tarka the Otter....
.
Among the many exhibitions which have included her work have been the New English Art Club
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.-History:Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886...
, the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
and the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
Summer Exhibitions. A solo exhibition at the Annexe Gallery was followed by regular studio shows.
In the late 1960s Vita regularly went with a group of artists led by Peter Garrard to paint in the Midi, near Uzes. In the 1980s she travelled around the Mediterranean, painting Crete and the Greek Islands - her works from this period are almost abstract.
John Kenworthy-Browne commented that, "her landscape paintings bring to mind an elusive concept of Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
's, the Chiaroscuro of nature... that power which creates space."
In 1980, Vita Gollancz was elected to Associate Member status of the Royal Society of British Artists
Royal Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.-History:...
.
Vita's sister Livia Ruth Gollancz is a noted musician who later became controlling director of Victor Gollancz Ltd, on the death of their father. Both sisters contributed to their father Victor Gollancz's 1968 autobiography Reminiscences of Affection; Vita provided illustrations, whilst Livia penned the foreword.
Exhibitions
Works exhibited at the Royal Academy, London.- 1968 - Back Gardens
- 1969 - Landscape in August: Gard.
- 1978 - Surviving Elms, Gloucestershire
- 1980 - Black Hill from Clunbury
- 1987 - Fields near Wyck, Hampshire
Various group shows:
- 1967 - New English Art Club
- 1968 - New English Art Club
- 1969 - New English Art Club
- 1970 - New English Art Club
- 1970 - The Kensington and Chelsea Artists
- 1975 - The Kensington and Chelsea Artists
- 1976 - New English Art Club
- 1976 - The Kensington and Chelsea Artists
- 1976 - Artistes de Grande Bretagne, Bilan de l'Art Contemporain, Paris
- 1977 - New English Art Club
- 1978 - New English Art Club
- 1979 - New English Art Club
- 1980 - New English Art Club
- 1979 - Artistes de Grande Bretagne, Paris
- 1980 - 20th Century Oils, Clarges Gallery, London
- 1980 - Southover Gallery, Lewes
Solo shows:
- 1981 - The Annexe Gallery, Wimbledon, London
- 1983 - Haldane Road Studio, London
- 1985 - Haldane Road Studio, London
- 2006 - Vita Gollancz: 80th Birthday Exhibition, Piers Feetham Gallery, London.
Other sources
- Royal Academy Exhibitors 1905-1970, Vol III (EP Publishing LTD, 1979)
- Royal Academy Exhibitors 1971-1989, (Hilmarton Manor Press, 1989)