Josselin Bodley

Venice

1928

Josselin Bodley is a British artist, born from an important family. His father was the historical John Eduard Courtenay (JEC) Bodley, and his sister was Ava Anderson, Viscountess Waverley. After travelling much and studying in Eaton, Bodley arrived in Paris to become a painter and started his artistic career, though after taking part in the war. His artistic style was influenced by the experiences of these years. His first works, indeed, show French architectures, landscapes and war images. Stylistically, his work is a combination of tradition, modernity and realism. He was also considered one of the most promising artists of his generation, a painter between French avantgarde and English artistic autonomy. His style kept distant from the trends of important emerging artistic groups in Great Britain of the 1930s. Bodley’s works were exhibited at the four most important art galleries of the West, the Bernheim Jeune in Paris, the Leicester Galleries in London, the Marie Harriman Gallery in New York and the Alfred Flechtheim in Berlin.