Graham Sutherland (British, 1903–1980) was a painter known for his surrealistic landscapes, still lifes, figurative works, and portraits. Born in London, Sutherland attended Epsom College and Goldsmith’s College School of Art, with a particular focus on printmaking, which he taught later taught at the Chelsea School of Art. Early on, his etchings and engravings displayed the influence of Romantic painter
Samuel Palmer, as well as
William Blake,
Paul Nash,
Henry Moore, and
Pablo Picasso. In 1936, he exhibited at the
International Surrealist Exhibition in London.
Following World War II, during which time, Sutherland created works as an official war artist, he produced the
The Crucifixion for St. Matthew’s Church in Northampton, which came to be considered one of the most important religious paintings of the 20th century. He continued to create religious works, including a tapestry design for Coventry Cathedral,
Christ in Glory.
In addition, Sutherland created expressionistic portraits, as well as glass and fabric designs, posters, ceramics, book illustrations, and ballet costumes. In 1960, he was elected to the Order of Merit, and, in 1972, he was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He held exhibitions at the ICA and Tate Gallery in London, the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennial, and the Musée National d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
Sutherland died in Kent, England. Today, his works can be found in numerous institutions around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Royal Collection in London, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.