CLIFFORD ELLIS. CURLEW Lithograph printed in colours with hand-colouring in Watercolour - 1973

1973. Print. Illus. by Clifford Ellis. Fine. Unframed. Signed by THE ARTIST. 76.5 cm x 65.5cm. Fine Lithograph hand-printed in colours, signed and dated in pencil On laid paper with full margins. This work came directly from the estate/studio of the Ellis Family following the death of their daughter Penelope (also an artist and photographer) and offers a rare opportunity to acquire one of their prints (we have a sizeable private collection of Clifford/Rosemary Ellis original prints, many of which are unique proofs annotated by the artist, and if there is something you are particularly looking for please do not hesitate to contact us.) Clifford Ellis was the founder and first principal of the Bath Academy of Art at Corsham Court, Bath (a progressive liberal arts college) from 1946 and taught many along the way including Kenneth Armitage, Terry Frost, William Scott, Henry Cliffe.... Clifford's art was often very much a collaboration with his wife Rosemary, who also taught at Corsham. Together they designed book jackets, posters for the London Transport board, designed ceramics and much more. Perhaps best known to book collectors for the their long association with the Collins New Naturalist series for which they designed the jackets from 1945 (Butterflies) to 1985 (Orkney); the series often collected as much for its striking jacket art as for its natural history content. However, their greater influence was as progressive artists of the mid-twentieth century, providing a legacy upon which today's contemporary artists have built. Clifford believed in pushing the boundaries of experience and certainly lateral thinking; this approach is evident in his lithographic abstract prints, which are not only intrinsically good and highly attractive artworks, but important markers in the development of 20th century art. [Brief bibliography. Jesson, Robin; At Corsham; 2017; Lasse Press, Norwich. Marren, Peter & Gillmor, Robert; Art of the New Naturalists; 2009; Collins, London.].