(1922 - 2009)
John Craxton was born in London, the son of composer Harold Craxton. He studied in Paris during 1939, but the war meant he completed his studies in London, at Westminster and Central Schools of Art. From 1941-1942, having been rejected for military service, he attended Goldsmiths College, before touring Pembrokeshire with Graham Sutherland in 1943. His first solo exhibition was in London in 1942. Craxton visited Greece for the first time in 1946 and travelled around the Cyclades and Dodecanese Islands. In 1948 he made his first visit to Crete, where he settled permanently in 1977, while retaining a studio in London. He has exhibited widely in both England and Greece. A major retrospective show was held at Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1967.
