merlyn evans
BRITISH ARTIST
1910 - 1973
merlyn evans prints
merlyn's work
BIOGRAPHY
1910 - 1933
EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION
Merlyn Evans was born in Cardiff and moved to Glasgow aged three. Growing up during the 1920’s and early 30’s he was affected and influenced by the poverty and violence surrounding him. As a gifted young artist he developed an art that engaged with real life; studying first at the Glasgow School of Art (1927-1930), and then at the Royal College of Art (1931–1933) in London.
1930 -1940
EXPERIENCE & TRAVEL
Cubism, abstraction, surrealism and his studies of ethnographic art contributed to his distinctive visual language; he had travelled extensively during the 1930’s and 40’s, also meeting Mondrian, Kandinsky, Giacometti and Ernst, amongst others, before settling in London and setting up a permanent studio for his work.
1956
RESPECT & REPUTATION
Merlyn was a highly respected figure in the development of twentieth century British art. In 1956 the Whitechapel Gallery held a retrospective of his work. Evans was a remarkable painter and draughtsman, but it might be argued that it was as a spectacularly gifted and inventive printmaker that he exerted his strongest influence.
1930 - 1973
ENGRAVING, ETCHING & PRINTING
Between 1930 and 1973 he made around 100 etching, engraving and mezzotint plates which were printed in small numbers with many sets never fully editioned. His technically complex work during the two decades after the war showed him to be the pre-eminent intaglio printmaker of the period.
2010
MONOGRAPH
‘Merlyn Evans’ written by Mel Gooding. Published by Cameron & Hollis.
To Date
GALLERIES
Merlyn’s prints and paintings are to be found in numerous National Galleries and Private Collections; currently including the Tate, Victoria & Albert Museum, National Galleries of Scotland and the National Museum of Wales.
CONTACT
To arrange a private view with a family member or to purchase a limited edition print, please contact us.