Donald Chisholm Towner (1903 - 1985)

RA Collection: People and Organisations

Painter of landscapes and church works, and writer. He studied at Eastbourne and Brighton Schools of Art, and under William Rothenstein at the Royal College of Art, 1923-7. Showed at RA, NEAC, Goupil Gallery and elsewhere. As well as studio shows in Hampstead where he lived, also had solo exhibitions at Leicester, Walker’s and Beaux Arts Galleries, at Burgh House and at Temple Art Gallery, Eastbourne, which holds three oils and four watercolours by him. Public galleries in Carlisle, Leeds and Sheffield also hold examples. Among his ecclesiastical work were reredos at Abbotsbury, Dorset; Plumstead in southeast London; and Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

Towner’s books include ‘The Leeds Potter’ (1963); ‘Creamware’ (1978) and an autobiography, ‘Reflections’ (1979).

Donald Towner’s niece was the artist Elizabeth Mary Towner. His father was responsible for establishing and endowing the Towmer Art Gallery. [Artists in Britain Since 1945 / David Buckman. Bristol: Art Dictionaries Ltd, 2006].