British
Painter of figurative works in oils; draughtsman, relief and collage artist; illustrator and theatrical designer. He studied at Swansea School of Art 1921-24, and at the RCA 1924-27, under Schwabe who encouraged him to study Cubism, Kandinsky, Picasso and Mondrian. His first solo exhibition was in 1930 (Glynn Vivian Gallery, Swansea), and in 1933 he exhibited with the Objective Abstraction Group in London. Through Julian Trevelyan he met Arp, and he formed friendships with Moore and McWilliam; in 1936 he exhibited in the International Surrealist Exhibition, London. He first exhibited relief constructions in 1937 and also that year became a member of the LG. After the war he was influenced by the Matisse and Picasso exhibition at the V & A. His first London solo exhibition was in 1942 at the Leger Gallery, and he subsequently exhibited regularly in London galleries including the Redfern and Marlborough, in the provinces and in group shows nationally and internationally. His work is represented in public collections including the Tate Gallery. From 1937 to 1939 he taught at Chelsea School of Art, from 1940 to 1944 he was Head of Painting, Cardiff School of Art; he then taught at Chelsea Polytechnic, 1947-55, at the Slade School, 1955-8, and at the RCA, 1958-60. A trustee of the Tate Gallery, he won many awards, receiving his CBE in 1960. His early reliefs and collages show the influence of Cubism and Surrealism. His paintings were often based on music and poetry, particularly that of Dylan Thomas and Debussy e.g. the Cathedrale Engloutie series. His style combined figurative elements with more abstract passages and his later paintings showed greater simplicity of form and colour whilst still fully expressing his poetic, complex imagination.

LIT:
Retrospective exhibition catalogue, the Tate Gallery, 1981 Modern English Painters, John Rothenstein, 1974
The Graphic Work of Ceri Richards, Roberto Sanesi, Milan, 1973