The Cathedral, Honfleur

  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection
  • About the artist
    Born in Edinburgh, Ethel Walker studied at Westminster and the Slade. In 1900 Walker was elected the first woman member of the New English Art Club, but was not elected as an Associate Member of the Royal Academy until 1940, at the age of 79. Three years later, she was appointed a DBE. After her death in 1951, her obituary in The Times noted that she had been ‘the most important woman artist of her time since Berthe Morisot’. Many of Walker’s early paintings were floral still life and intimate interior scenes in muted colours. Her later work was influenced by the bright colour and light of French Impressionist painting. Walker is best known for her portraits of women and girls. She preferred models to be as ‘natural’ as possible, removing all forms of adornment such as make-up and jewellery, to allow her to focus on an individual’s expression and temperament.
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  • Details
    Title
    The Cathedral, Honfleur
    Date
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 49.50 cm, width: 59.50 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Mayor Gallery, February 1959
    Inscription
    none
    GAC number
    4877