Sybil Andrews; A Complete Catalogue
This year Sybil Andrews is given the credit she deserves, as the first complete catalogue of her work has been published. To coincide with the release, there will be a major exhibition of her work later this year at the Osborne Samuel Gallery in London.
Andrews skills lie not only in linocuts. By trade, Andrews was a welder. During World War 1 she worked at an airplane factory where she took part in the development of the first all-metal airplane. With a keen eye for design she returned to her home of Bury St Edmunds after the war where she became an art teacher. In 1922 she studied at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art in London. During this period Andrews began producing and exhibiting linocuts and continued until 1939. She often worked closely with Cyril Power and mutual influences are evident int he work of both artists. The are both often tied to the Grosvenor School of modern Art where she became the first secretary.
In 1947 Sybil moved to Canada with her husband Morgan where they started a new life in a remote logging town. The prevailing themes in her work reflect much of her personal life and love of shared experiences as she depicts manual work, urban life and sport. Her modernist work is currently more popular than ever as it reaches record selling prices in Canada and throughout the world.
A major exhibition dedicated to Sybil Andrew’s life work will be open to the public at the Osborne Samuel Gallery in London from the 24th September – 10th October 2015. The book, Sybil Andrews Linocuts: A Complete Catalogue by Hana Leaper is available now.