Dorothy Mead 1928-1975

Dorothy Mead

Dorothy Mead was born in London and adopted at three months old to a family in Walthamstow who moved to Romford when Mead was aged three. She studied at South East Essex School of Art at Dagenham where she first encountered David Bomberg. Mead took Bomberg’s teaching and added a feminine intuition for form and beauty.

She followed Bomberg to the Borough Polytechnic where she attended his now legendary classes alongside Cliff Holden, Dennis Creffield, Miles Richmond and others. These four artists became founder members of the Borough Group, now celebrated at the Borough Road Gallery situated in the old Polytechnic building and centred around the remarkable collection of Sarah Rose.

She attended the Slade School of Art as a mature student and proved to be an influential figure amongst her peers. The next year Mead became at loggerheads with the principle William Coldstream as she refused to take the Slade’s course on perspective, likely thinking it would damage her work and go against the teachings of Bomberg she said “perspective has no place in art” and wrote a thesis on that aim, but it was refused, so she was asked to leave the Slade.

It is interesting to note that in 1960 a similar argument broke out at the Royal College of Art between Robin Darwin and student David Hockney over the latter’s refusal to complete the general studies course.

She also won numerous awards including the Steer Medal, yet left without securing a diploma after her spat with Coldstream.

 Mead was president of the Young Contemporaries (1958-59) and her work entered the collection of the Arts Council in the early 60s. This was followed by her inclusion in the Arts Council exhibition 6 Young Painters in 1964. The exhibition also featured David Hockney, Peter Blake, William Crozier, Euan Uglow and Bridget Riley and shows the regard she was held in by the establishment. Despite this, she showed infrequently in commercial galleries, instead favouring groups and associations. She became a member of the London Group and 1971 she was nominated to be president - the first female artist to hold the post. At around this time, a still life by Mead entered the collection of the Tate Gallery in London.

Dorothy Mead died tragically young at the age of 46

For more information do view our blog dated 2nd January 2024