John Craxton RA
Born: 3 October 1922, London, UK
Elected RA: 25 May 1993
Category of Membership: Painter
John Craxton studied at L’Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris in 1939. He returned to London in 1940 to study at Westminster and Central Schools of Art and at Goldsmiths’ College of Art with Lucian Freud.
John Craxton RA, Soldier with Slivovitz Craxton’s first solo exhibition was held at the Leicester Galleries, London in 1944. He travelled with Lucian Freud to Greece in 1946 with their visit culminating in a joint exhibition held at the London Gallery during the following year. He first visited Crete in 1948 and subsequently rented a house there from 1960 in Hania, which later become his home.
Craxton’s principal solo exhibitions include St George’s Gallery, London (1945), Galerie Gasser, Zürich (1946), Mayor Gallery, London (1950), Leicester Galleries, London (1951, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1966) and the Hamet Gallery, London (1971). Several solo shows of his work have been held at the British Council in Athens (1946, 1949, 1985), and more recently he has had solo exhibitions at the Christopher Hull Gallery, London (1982, 1985, 1987, 1993); at the Chrysostomos Gallery, Hania (1985) and at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester (1998). A Retrospective of his work was held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1967.
Craxton designed the sets and costumes for the Royal Ballet's Daphnis and Chloë in 1951 and for Apollo in 1966. He was commissioned to design the Cotteral Memorial Tapestry for the McRobert Centre, Stirling University in 1971. He was elected Royal Academician in 1993, and lives and works in both Hania, Crete and London.
Public collections
Tate Gallery, London
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
British Museum, London
Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
National Museum of Wales
Arts Council
British Council
Government Art Collection
National Gallery, Melbourne
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Contact details for further information
Email membershipoffice@royalacademy.org.uk
