Gwen John
Art > Painter

Gwen John was an artist who was famous for painting self-portraits, paintings of other women and still life. She studied art at the Slade School of Art in London – this was the only college in Britain that allowed women to attend.

Gwen John

• 1884: Her family moved to Tenby.
• 1895: She moved to London to live with her younger brother, Augustus John, to study art at The Slade School of Fine Art.
• 1898: She moved to Paris, France for six months to attend art school, returning to England after finishing the course.
• 1903: She returned to live in France.
• 1913: She joined the Catholic church.
• 1939: She died at Dieppe, France.
• 1968: A retrospective exhibition of her work was held by the Arts Council in London, Sheffield and Cardiff.
• Her paintings were inherited by her nephew, Edwin, who was also a watercolour artist.
• 1976: The National Museum of Wales acquired the rest of her collection from Edwin, including a thousand of her drawings.

Place of Birth: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

Date of Birth: 22 June 1876

Date of Death: 18 September 1939

‘Gwen John started her training as an artist when she registered at the Slade School of Fine Art. From 1904 until her death in 1939 she spent most of her time living and working in Paris.’ – Alicia Foster, ‘British Artists: Gwen John’ (Tate Publishing 2015), p. 7

External Links

Wikipedia - Gwen John

Dictionary of Welsh Biography - Gwen John