Artist: Clarke hutton

Clarke Hutton was a true ‘London Boy’, born in Stoke Newington, North London in 1898 and died 1984.

When you think about the Prints for school series, that many of us remember from our childhood classrooms , the name Clarke Hutton is not necessarily one that comes to mind first. You will associate the series with the likes of John Nash, Tunnard, LS Lowry, Henry Moore , Julian Trevelyan, Kenneth Rowntree or Michael Rothenstein but I am sure you will remember the image produced by Clarke Hutton titled ’ Harlequinade ‘. It echos his early role as a stage designer for the Empire theatre where he worked until it was taken over by Metro Goldwyn Mayer corporation who began to show films from noon to midnight from 1928 when it reopened its doors. So Hutton had to find a new role .

In 1929 he took over at Central School of Arts and Crafts where he had been studying lithography under AS Hartrick , who must have thought a great deal of Huttons work . Whilst there he developed processes to produce high volume affordable illustrations for children’s books and he worked with Puffin and Penguin books. He also wrote and designed the classic children’s series of books titled ‘A picture history of Britain’ published in the 1940’s.

While at the Central School Clarke Hutton became great friends with A. E. Halliwell who was a contemporary of his having been appointed to a post there 1949 and remaining there until 1970. In fact we are luck to have a work that was gifted to Haliwell by Clarke Hutton from 1959 and its an early example of his abstract works that he continued to paint up until his death . These pieces are often painted in vibrant colours and are now highly prized by collectors and interior designers.

Over his life Hutton exhibited at the Royal Academy , the London Group and Redfern to name a few.

WANTED …. We are looking to purchase more work by this artist so do please contact us if you are considering a sale.