Sybil Andrews
Encyclopedia
Sybil Andrews was a British
-born (Bury St Edmunds) Canadian
printmaker best known for her modernist linocut
s.
, and began producing and exhibiting linocuts from 1921 until 1939, working frequently with her informal partner Cyril Edward Power. She also helped in the establishment and became the first secretary
(1925 —1928) of the The Grosvenor School of Modern Art. She worked as an oxyacetylene welder
in an aircraft factory in World War I
, where she helped in the development of the first all metal aeroplane for the Bristol Welding Company. and in the shipyards of the Hampshire
city of Southampton
during World War II
where she met her future husband Walter Morgan. In England one of the largest collections in public ownership is held by St Edmundsbury Borough Council Heritage Service Bury St Edmunds. This collection includes a number of early water-colour paintings, executed while the artist was still living in Suffolk
.
with Walter Morgan, making her home in Campbell River
, British Columbia
. Sybil Andrews was elected to the Society of Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers in 1951 when her linocut Indian Dance was selected as the presentation print. There as well as teaching and continuing her own art in 1975 she completed one of her major works, The Banner of St Edmund. It is hand embroidered in silks on linen, and was first conceived, designed and begun in 1930. This banner now hangs in the Treasury of the St James Cathedral in the town of her birth.
The Glenbow Museum
,Canada is a major centre for the study of her work with a collection of over 1000 examples of Andrews' works, including all of her famous colour linocuts and the original linoleum blocks, paintings in oil and watercolour, drawings, drypoint etchings, sketchbooks, and personal papers. In recent years her works have sold extremely well at auction with record prices being achieved primarily within Canada.
Coffee Bar, 1952, colour linoleum cut.
Gypsies, 1939, colour linoleum cut.
Mowers, 1937, colour linoleum cut.
Storm, 1935, colour linoleum cut.
Racing, 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Speedway 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Tillers of the soil, 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Bringing in the boat, 1933, colour linoleum cut.
Mother and Son, 1932, colour linoleum cut.
The giant cable linocut
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born (Bury St Edmunds) Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
printmaker best known for her modernist linocut
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed...
s.
Life in England
Sybil trained in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and began producing and exhibiting linocuts from 1921 until 1939, working frequently with her informal partner Cyril Edward Power. She also helped in the establishment and became the first secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
(1925 —1928) of the The Grosvenor School of Modern Art. She worked as an oxyacetylene welder
Oxy-fuel welding and cutting
Oxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases and oxygen to weld and cut metals, respectively. French engineers Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903...
in an aircraft factory in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where she helped in the development of the first all metal aeroplane for the Bristol Welding Company. and in the shipyards of the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
city of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
where she met her future husband Walter Morgan. In England one of the largest collections in public ownership is held by St Edmundsbury Borough Council Heritage Service Bury St Edmunds. This collection includes a number of early water-colour paintings, executed while the artist was still living in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Life in Canada
In 1947 she married and moved to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with Walter Morgan, making her home in Campbell River
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Sybil Andrews was elected to the Society of Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers in 1951 when her linocut Indian Dance was selected as the presentation print. There as well as teaching and continuing her own art in 1975 she completed one of her major works, The Banner of St Edmund. It is hand embroidered in silks on linen, and was first conceived, designed and begun in 1930. This banner now hangs in the Treasury of the St James Cathedral in the town of her birth.
The Glenbow Museum
Glenbow Museum
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is one of Western Canada's largest museums, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbow's collection of over a million objects....
,Canada is a major centre for the study of her work with a collection of over 1000 examples of Andrews' works, including all of her famous colour linocuts and the original linoleum blocks, paintings in oil and watercolour, drawings, drypoint etchings, sketchbooks, and personal papers. In recent years her works have sold extremely well at auction with record prices being achieved primarily within Canada.
List of works
Fleece, 1988, colour linoleum cut.Coffee Bar, 1952, colour linoleum cut.
Gypsies, 1939, colour linoleum cut.
Mowers, 1937, colour linoleum cut.
Storm, 1935, colour linoleum cut.
Racing, 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Speedway 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Tillers of the soil, 1934, colour linoleum cut.
Bringing in the boat, 1933, colour linoleum cut.
Mother and Son, 1932, colour linoleum cut.
The giant cable linocut
Collections
- Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, USA
- Virtual Museum of Canada
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Moyse's Hall Museum, Suffolk, UK
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaThe Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
, New Zealand - The Bank of New York Mellon Collection, USA (Private Collection)
Further reading
- Coppel, Stephen. Linocuts of the Machine Age: Claude Flight and the Grosvenor School. Ashgate Pub Co.; October 1995 - ISBN 0-85967-945-4 and 9780859679459 for a catalogue raisonné of seven artists including all of Andrews linocuts.
- Reeve, Christopher. Something to Splash About; Sybil Andrews in Suffolk. St Edmundsbury Museums 1991: Bury St Edmunds, ISBN 0-9501430-7-3
- White, Peter. Sybil Andrews: Colour linocuts - Linogravures en Couleur. Glenbow Museum, 1982 for a catalogue raisonné of all Andrews linocuts.
External links
- Glenbow Museum's Impress: Prints, Artists, and Ideas website has more than 180 high-resolution images of prints, drawings, and paintings by Sybil Andrews
- Glenbow Museum. Sybil Andrews
- Redfern Gallery thumbnails of a selection of works
- listing of all Andrews' linocuts, many with images artistarchive.com
- Images of works by Sybil Andrews in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa