Lionel Lindsay

Lionel Lindsay

Lionel Lindsay , fully Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay (born October 17, 1874 in Creswick , Victoria , † May 22, 1961 in Melbourne ) was an Australian painter , graphic artist and art critic with Anglo-Irish roots.

Live and act

Lindsay was the son of the doctor Robert Alexander Lindsay (1843-1915) and his wife Jane Elizabeth Lindsay (1848-1933). His maternal grandfather was the preacher Thomas Williams, a follower of John Wesley (→ Methodist and Wesleyan Churches ). Lindsay had nine siblings, including Percy (1870-1952), Norman (1879-1969), Ruby (1885-1919) and Daryl Lindsay (1889-1976).

During his school days, Lindsay worked at the Melbourne Observatory from 1889. It was only when he began to study at the Art Academy of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne in 1892 that he gave up this work. Parallel to his studies, he worked in the studio of George James Coates (1869–1930).

Around 1895 Lindsay went on an extensive study trip to Spain and Great Britain. After his return he settled in Sydney and opened his own studio there. As a member of the Society of Artists , he had a very successful solo exhibition in 1907 that made him known across the country. In 1921 Lindsay was instrumental in founding the Painters-Etcher 'Society and became its first president.

After the First World War , Colnaghi's Galleries brought Lindsay to London and made him known in Great Britain through exhibitions.

In addition to working in his studio, Lindsay also took on tasks in the Art Gallery of New South Wales and was appointed trustee there in 1941 . At the suggestion of the Australian government under Prime Minister Robert Menzies, King George VI ennobled in 1941 . Lindsay for Knight Bachelor .

Lionel Lindsay died on May 22, 1961 in Melbourne, where he found his final resting place.

Works (selection)

• A book of woodcuts, drawn on wood and engraved . Constable, London 1922.
• A consideration of the art of Ernest Moffit .
• Etchings and drypoints of Spain and Australia . Colnaghi, London 1927
• Comedy of life. An autobiography . Angus & Robertson, Sydney 1967.
• Drawing and drawings in Australia . Fairfax Press, Sydney 1937.

literature

• Harry F. Chaplin: A Lindsay Miscellany. Norman, Lionel, Ruby, Philip and Mary and other members of the family . Wentworth Books, Sydney 1978.
• Daryl Lindsay: The leafy tree. My family . Cheshire Edition, Melbourne 1965.
• Joanna Mendelssohn: The art of Sir Lionel Lindsay . Copperfield Publ., Brookvale, NSW 1987. (2 vol.)
• Joanna Mendelssohn (Ed.): Letters & liars. Norman Lindsay and the Lindsay family . Angus & Robertson, Sydney 1996, ISBN 0-207-18272-8 .
• Ursula Prunster (Ed.): The legendary Lindsays. Norman, Percy, Lionel, Ruby and Daryl Lindsay . Beagle Press, Sydney 1995, ISBN 0-947349-13-8 (catalog of the exhibition of the same name, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, January 6 to February 26, 1995)

Web links

• Bernard Smith: Lionel Lindsay . In: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 10 . University Press, Melbourne 1986, pp. 106-115.