Graham Sutherland

Key facts

Lived

1903–1980, British

Movement

• portrait

Works held in

28 museums^[1]

• Cathedral (Study of Rocks)

  National Museum Cardiff

  Castle, United Kingdom

  33 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Bird

  National Gallery of Art

  Washington, D.C., United States

  71 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Welsh Landscape with Roads

  Tate

  Tate Britain, United Kingdom

  16 works

  

  Museum details
• Green Tree Form: Interior of Woods

  National Gallery

  Trafalgar Square, United Kingdom

  9 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook

  National Portrait Gallery

  St Martin's Place, United Kingdom

  8 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Pink Vine Pergola

  British Council

  London, United Kingdom

  6 works

  

  Museum details

Plan your visit to see Graham Sutherland →

• How did graham sutherland die?+

  Graham Sutherland died in 1980 at the age of 77.
• What is Graham Sutherland's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name a single work as Graham Sutherland's most famous. He worked in a variety of media and genres, including painting, printmaking, and design. Sutherland is known for his abstract and semi-abstract depictions of nature, often focusing on the organic forms and textures of the British countryside. His designs for the new Coventry Cathedral are also notable. Sutherland created a large artwork of Christ in Glory, which was installed in the rebuilt cathedral in 1962. He also produced a number of portraits, including those of Somerset Maugham and Winston Churchill. The Churchill portrait was presented to the Houses of Parliament in 1954; however, it was later destroyed by Clementine Churchill because she disliked it.
• What should I know about Graham Sutherland's prints?+

  Graham Sutherland was a painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. His prints, like those of many artists, have become a way to reach a wider audience due to their greater availability and comparatively lower cost. The practice of making prints dates back centuries, with early examples found in ancient Egypt and China. As paper became more accessible in Europe around the end of the 14th century, printmaking began to grow. Originally, prints were primarily functional, serving purposes such as book illustrations and religious icons. However, artists such as Dürer, Rembrandt, and Goya elevated printmaking to a high-art form. During the late 19th century, prints gained recognition as a major artistic medium. Artists started signing their prints to distinguish them from reproductions, which also confirmed the print's authenticity. Edition sizes were often limited and numbered; this allowed the artist to control the number of works on the market and prevent prints from being produced after the matrix had deteriorated. Each print in a limited edition is considered an original, created from a plate, stone, or block made specifically for that edition. The artist typically decides on the number of prints in the edition.
• What style or movement did Graham Sutherland belong to?+

  Graham Sutherland is usually associated with Neo-Romanticism, a British art movement of the 1930s and 1940s. This movement involved a nostalgic and pastoral vision of the British countryside, often tinged with a sense of melancholy or unease. Sutherland's early work, particularly his etchings, shows the influence of Samuel Palmer and Romanticism. His paintings of the 1930s, such as those of Pembrokeshire, Wales, demonstrate an engagement with natural forms, but also a move towards abstraction. These works are characterised by their emotional intensity and imaginative response to the landscape. During the Second World War, Sutherland worked as an official war artist. He produced images of industrial subjects, such as tin mines and bomb damage. These works maintain a Neo-Romantic sensibility, finding beauty and drama in unexpected places. After the war, Sutherland's style evolved further, incorporating more abstract and symbolic elements. Although his style changed over time, his work remained connected to the British Neo-Romantic tradition.
• What techniques or materials did Graham Sutherland use?+

  Graham Sutherland's techniques involved a range of media and approaches. Although the passages provided do not focus specifically on Sutherland, they do offer a general context for understanding artistic techniques. Artists may use varied techniques, from rapid, emotionally driven creation to slow, methodical execution. The choice of materials, such as pigments, and the support (like canvas or board) are integral to the process. Some artists favour artist-quality paints for colour saturation and stability. Brushes also play a role; hog hair brushes are preferred by some for their springy resistance and ability to apply paint broadly. The preparation of the ground, the surface on which the artwork is created, is also significant. Options include gessoed MDF, primed canvas stuck to MDF, and primed canvas. Some artists find personal satisfaction in priming and stretching their own canvases, viewing it as a preparatory ritual. Ultimately, technique involves the manual and mechanical operations that act upon raw material, shaped by artistic intention.
• What was Graham Sutherland known for?+

  Graham Sutherland is known for his contributions to British modernism, particularly his semi-abstract paintings of the natural world. Although he worked in various media, including printmaking and textiles, he is perhaps best recognised for his paintings. During the Second World War, Sutherland served as an official war artist, documenting industrial scenes and bomb damage. These works often depicted the ravaged landscapes of wartime Britain, influencing his later style. After the war, Sutherland's work shifted towards more organic forms, drawing inspiration from the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales. He transformed natural elements, such as roots and plants, into near-abstract compositions. These works explored the underlying structures and sometimes menacing aspects of nature. Sutherland also accepted portrait commissions; his most famous, or perhaps infamous, portrait was that of Winston Churchill, presented to him in 1954. Churchill hated the portrait, and it was later destroyed.
• When did Graham Sutherland live and work?+

  Graham Sutherland (1903-1980) was a British artist known for his paintings, prints, and designs. He was born in London, and he studied at Goldsmiths College from 1921 to 1926, initially focusing on etching. During the 1930s, Sutherland became associated with a Neo-Romantic style, often depicting natural forms and the British countryside. His work took a turn during the Second World War, when he was an official war artist, recording bomb damage and industrial scenes. After the war, Sutherland's style became more abstract and expressive. He is particularly well-known for his religious commissions, most notably the Christ in Glory design for Coventry Cathedral (1951-1962). He also painted portraits, including the controversial one of Winston Churchill (1954). Sutherland spent considerable time working in France, and he died in Menton in 1980. His work can be found in major collections, such as the Tate and the National Museum of Wales.
• Where can I see Graham Sutherland's work?+

  Graham Sutherland's works can be viewed in several public collections. The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff holds a substantial collection of his pieces, including early works and those produced during his time as an official war artist. The Imperial War Museum in London also has a number of Sutherland's war paintings. These paintings document the effects of bombing on British cities and industrial sites during the Second World War. Other UK institutions holding his work include the Tate, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, all in London; the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester; and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh. These collections include paintings, prints, and drawings. Outside the United Kingdom, Sutherland's art can be found in collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. These galleries offer opportunities to view a range of Sutherland's output, from his early romantic style to his later, more abstract pieces.
• Where was Graham Sutherland from?+

  Graham Sutherland was born in London on 24 August 1903. He remained in London for his art education, studying engraving at Goldsmiths' College of Art from 1921 to 1926. Sutherland began exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy, London, in 1923, and had his first solo exhibition in London at the Twenty-One Gallery in 1925. He was an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers from 1925 until 1933. Sutherland also taught at the Chelsea School of Art in London from 1928 to 1939, before abandoning engraving for painting in the early 1930s. During World War II, from 1940 to 1945, he worked as a War Artist, completing numerous official commissions. Graham Sutherland died in London on 17 February 1980.
• Who did Graham Sutherland influence?+

  Graham Sutherland's impact on British art can be seen in the work of artists who explored abstraction and the natural world. His wartime paintings of bomb-damaged buildings and industrial sites, such as those in Swansea and Pembrokeshire, presented a new way of seeing the British countryside. Sutherland's influence is apparent in the work of artists like John Piper, whose paintings and drawings share a similar interest in the romantic and expressive qualities of architecture and nature. Both artists were commissioned to record aspects of wartime Britain, and their work shares a sense of melancholy and drama. Another artist who was affected by Sutherland is Reg Butler. Butler, like Sutherland, created sculptures that evoke organic forms. These forms suggest growth, decay, and the power of nature. Sutherland's exploration of religious themes, particularly his design for the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, also had an impact on subsequent generations of artists working with ecclesiastical commissions. His focus on personal expression within these traditional contexts opened new avenues for artistic exploration.
• Who influenced Graham Sutherland?+

  Graham Sutherland's artistic development involved several influences. John D Graham, a Russian émigré, was an important source of knowledge regarding contemporary European art. Graham, who had met Picasso, André Breton, and others, willingly shared his insights with younger artists in America. Graham believed artists should progress through phases: apprenticeship to old masters, a search for one's path, and mature resolution. His ideas, more than his paintings, were fundamental to the development of artists such as Arshile Gorky during the 1930s. Gorky, like Graham, was initially dedicated to Cubism, specifically Picasso. Gorky systematically absorbed modern painting, moving from Cézanne to Picasso. He emulated Picasso's styles, including the Blue and Rose Periods and Synthetic Cubism. Gorky explored Synthetic Cubism, focusing on flat shapes, colour, and pigment. He simplified Cubist iconography, favouring classical motifs over everyday subjects.
• Who is graham sutherland?+

  Graham Sutherland was one of the leading British artists of the twentieth century. The landscape of western Wales, especially Pembrokeshire, was a revelation to him.