Gwen John 1876 – 1939
Artist.
22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939
Gwen John, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Education
Schooled at home by a governess, later attending Miss Wilson’s academy in Tenby then Miss Philpott’s educational establishment in London.
1895-1898 Studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, winning prizes.
1898 Studied at the Académie Carmen in Paris.
Some Key Achievements and Interests
1900 Exhibited for the first time at the New English Art Club.
1903 Moved to France settling in Paris in 1904.
1911 John Quinn, an American collector, bought many of John’s works giving her freedom to pursue her art.
1913 Exhibited at the Armory Show in New York, at the Penguin Club in New York in 1918, and in 1926, with great success, at the New Chenil Galleries, London.
Issues
Had an unhappy childhood, her mother dying when she was eight years old.
While her brother was allowed to attend art school she was kept at home.
Struggled financially for many years. Modelled for other artists to earn her keep.
Had unhappy relationships with men including Auguste Rodin.
Became reclusive in the 1930s.
Connection to Bloomsbury
Lived at different times in Bloomsbury when in London.
Female Networks
Dorelia McNeill, Ida Nettleship, Gwen Salmond, Mary Constance Lloyd, Ursula Tyrwhitt, Véra Oumançoff.
Works include
1897-98 Portrait of the Artist’s Sister Winifred.
1903-4 Dorelia in a Black Dress
1904-8 Cat
1907-9 A Corner of the Artist’s Room in Paris
1909-10 Nude Girl
1911 A Lady Reading
1910 Bust of a Woman
1910+ Young Woman Holding a Black Cat
1918-19 The Convalescent
Legacy
Many of John’s paintings are now held in public collections including the National Museum and Gallery of Wales and Tate Britain.
Further reading
Foster, Alicia; Art and Life in London and Paris, (British Artists Series, 2023)
Thomas, Alison; Portraits of Women; Gwen John and Her Forgotten Contemporaries, Polity Press, Camb 1996
John, Gwendolen Mary, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. John, Gwendolen Mary [Gwen] (1876–1939), painter | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (oxforddnb.com)