Artist, born in London, UK. He studied at London, worked mainly as an etcher until 1930, then made his reputation as a painter of Romantic, mainly abstract landscapes. He was an official war artist (19415), and later produced several memorable portraits, including Maugham (1949), and Beaverbrook (1951). His Churchill (1955) did not find favour with Lady Churchill and was never seen by the public. He also designed ceramics, posters, and textiles. His large tapestry, Christ in Majesty, was hung in the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962.
Graham Vivian Sutherland (August 24, 1903 – February 17, 1980) was an English artist.
He was born in Streatham, London, educated at Epsom College, Surrey and Goldsmiths' College, University of London and worked as an engineer at the Midland Railway Works at Derby before studying engraving at Goldsmiths College from 1921 to 1926.
His early prints of pastoral subjects show the influence of Samuel Palmer. These pieces are mainly landscapes, which show an affinity with the work of Paul Nash. Sutherland focused on the inherent strangeness of natural forms, and abstracting them, sometimes giving his work a surrealist appearance; He also took up glass design, fabric design and poster design during the 1930s, and taught at a number of London art colleges.
From 1940 he was employed as an official artist in World War II, as part of the War Artists' Scheme.
Having converted to Catholicism in 1926, from around 1950 until his death he was deeply involved in religion. He also continued to produce work based on natural forms, and managed to blend some of these - such as thorns - into his religious work.
From 1947 into the 1960s his work was inspired by the south of France, and he purchased a villa there at Menton in 1955.
Sutherland also painted a number of portraits, with one of Somerset Maugham (1949) the first and among the most famous.
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There were major retrospective shows at the Tate Gallery in 1982, France in 1998, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 2005.
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