Edward EADE (1911 - 1984)

Edward Eade was born into a working-class family in North London in 1911. Educated at the Slade School of Art and later as a Landseer Scholar, at the Royal Academy Schools, where he was described as a brilliant student and later on, 'one of the best draughtsmen in the country'.

Eade was first and above all a portrait painter but soon developed in all areas of visual arts, his huge natural talent and innate curiosity led him to study sculpture under Henry Moore after the Second World War.

Eclectic in his passion for art, his own works show an amazing diversity of influences - despite being a 'traditionalist' he was always searching for new ways of expression. However, he became increasingly disillusioned with the contemporary art scene and with much of the work that he saw being produced. Possibly it was this disillusionment and lack of confidence that explains why he never held a solo exhibition of his work during his lifetime.

Somewhat reclusive in later years, he died in 1984 surrounded by most of his accumulated work of drawings, sketches, paintings, ceramics and sculptures. Sadly much of this was lost when his landlord destroyed and cleared away his studio and the numerous free standing sculptures in his garden in 1997. However much was retrieved by his dedicated family and many of the surviving works have been shown at retrospective exhibitions in London and Edinburgh to wide acclaim from the public and reviewers.

The acknowledged gentleness of Eade's work led to the title of his exhibitions and a book on his work 'The Gentle Artist'. Gentleness is an attribute rarely seen to such an extent in contemporary art, which all too often reflects the discord and violence of the modern world.

The Gentle Artist: Oliver Eade

Paintings