Frances Macdonald (English artist)

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Frances Macdonald
Born(1914-04-12)12 April 1914
Wallasey, Cheshire, England
Died5 March 2002(2002-03-05) (aged 87)
Aberdeen, Scotland
NationalityBritish
Education
Known forPainting, drawing

Frances Macdonald (12 April 1914 – 5 March 2002), was an English painter known for her panoramic scenes painted in Wales, the south of France and in London during World War II.

Early life

In the Millbank Hospital during an Air Raid, patients being taken to the shelter (1940) (Art.IWM ART LD 1598)
London Docks, Building Caissons for Mulberry (1944) (Art.IWM ART LD 4039)

Frances Macdonald was born in Wallasey, Cheshire,[1] the younger of the two daughters of Francis Macdonald, a bank manager, and his wife Jessie.[2] She trained at Wallasey School of Art between 1930 and 1934, before studying at the Royal College of Art until 1938.[3] Whilst at the RCA Macdonald met her future husband, the artist Leonard Appelbee.

World War II

At the start of the Second World War, Macdonald intended to volunteer for nursing duties but was surprised to receive a war artist commission, given how recently she had been a student.

Bailey bridges plus a portrait of their inventor Donald Bailey.[4] In all, nineteen works by Macdonald were acquired by WAAC, including Building the Mulberry Harbour, London Docks (1944) which was requested by the Tate for its permanent collection at the end of the war.[5] The Imperial War Museum also has a number of works by Macdonald.[6]

Later life

43 Repair Group Air Frame Repair Services, Lincoln, repairing Liberator aircraft (1945) (Art.IWM ART LD 5509)

After the war, Macdonald had her first solo exhibition at the

Ruskin School of Drawing.[9] As well as teaching art, Macdonald also exhibited at the Alfred Brod Gallery in 1961.[10][7] In 1989 Francis and Leonard moved from the West Country to Kincardine-on-Forth and then to Aberdeen, to be near their only daughter, Jane. Leonard died in 2000, two years before Francis.[11]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ a b c d David Buckman (20 March 2002). "News-Obituaries Frances Macdonald". The Independent. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  3. .
  4. ^ Imperial War Museum. "Mrs Appelbee". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  5. .
  6. ^ Artworks by or after Frances Macdonald, Art UK. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ Christopher Proudlove (2011). "Forgotten artist of true genius". WriteAntiques blog. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  9. .
  10. ^ Art Fortune. "Frances Macdonald 1914-2002". Art Fortune.com. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  11. ^ David Buckman (24 June 2000). "Leonard Appelbee". The Herald (Scotland). Retrieved 4 September 2013.

External links