Margaret Thomas was a modern British painter who trained in the inter-war years at both the Slade and the Royal College of Art in London. She was part of a generation of female artists who challenged inequality in the academies. In 1943 she exhibited her first oil painting at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London. She went on to exhibit at the Royal Academy for another 46 consecutive years.
A lyrical painter, essentially in the English tradition, Margaret loved to paint still-life compositions, particularly flowers. Toward the end of her life, her studio was full of vases and pots and bunches of dried and rather beautiful faded flowers; her friends, as she called them. Her paintings are littered with objects that shaped her life as an artist — a postcard of a particular exhibition she had visited or a piece of antique fabric that had hung in her nursery as a child. Colors, patterns and memories that inspired her and became part of her narrative. Always working in oil paints, her exterior influences roamed between London, Norfolk and Edinburgh where she had homes. Earlier works often included figures but as she developed her own style the figurative narratives became less direct. It was more about the harmony in a piece and a reduced palette of slate greys, blues and pinks.
Margaret was known to cite Braque and Philip Wilson Steer as early influences in her work, and the creative tension produced between these two giants led to what she termed as "a long tug-o-war" in her studio. The result was a flow of paintings that evoked this mid-century history of an interest in an almost abstract form and an undeniable modern British palette.
Despite a constant subject matter Margaret never repeated herself. One of her favorite flowers, a winter cyclamen, could be viewed in a fresh angle and a new light at every turn of her brush or palette knife. Returning most frequently to the motif of a dying flower, she draws endless inspiration from these spiky, spectral and sculptural presences. "Fading, dried, left to themselves, flowers begin to die from the beginning. When picked they must be left alone to fulfil their destinies, to orientate to the light, to sort out their relative strengths, to stabilize and to mature. They cannot be arranged. All this I seek to show in my paintings."
Represented by leading art gallery Messums in London, Margaret continued to hold solo exhibitions with the gallery up to the last few years of her life. Her work is held in public and private collections, including the Government Art Collection UK, the National Galleries of Scotland, Oxford University and Lloyd's of London.
Find original Margaret Thomas paintings on 1stDibs.
$6,480
Impressionist Royal Academy Oil on Canvas Modern British Art Flowers Slade
By Margaret Thomas
Located in Norfolk, GB
This beautifully compelling still life, oil on canvas board work was made by renown artist Margaret Thomas, a Modern British painter who trained in the...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Red Grapes, 24x16" oil on board
By Lu Haskew
Located in Loveland, CO
Red Grapes by Lu Haskew Oil Still Life of Grapes against a stucco wall 24x16" image size, 30x22" framed Shipping price includes the custom packing necessary for safe transport of f...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$625
H 8 in W 8 in
Maryann Lucas, "Subtlety in Pink", 8x8 Floral Still Life Painting
By Maryann Lucas
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This bright and colorful floral painting, "Subtlety in Pink, is an 8x8 still life oil painting on board by Maryann Lucas. An expressive floral study featuring a soft pink bloom emer...
Oil, Board
$495
H 15 in W 12 in D 2 in
Vintage American Impressionist Framed Pansy Flower Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American impressionist oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Handsomely framed in a giltwood molding. Excellent condition, ready...
Oil, Board
"Four Peonies", Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Yana Beylinson's (US based) "Four Peonies" is an oil painting that depicts impressionistic pink flowers with vivid green leaves. Artist Bio: Yana is driven by a deep r...
Oil, Board
$1,412
H 19.69 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
The Peonies Near The Night Window - peonies still life painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Painting with white peonies, clear vase, night window is a great and stylish interior decoration. The still life is author's and original. It's signed on...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$414Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.56 in W 17.52 in D 0.79 in
Colourful French Still Life, Fruit and Coffee Pot. Oil on Board.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century oil on board of a colourful still-life, fruit and a coffee pot by Bill Brown. Signed and dated 1979 to the bottom left and signed, titled ...
Oil, Board
"Confetti", Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Yana Beylinson's (US based) "Confetti" is an oil painting that depicts impressionistic white Sunflowers in a glass vase with pink, and purple flowers on a grey background. Artist Bi...
Board, Oil
$9,500
H 24 in W 28 in D 1 in
1920's Pink & Blue Impressionist Floral Still-Life Early Work Society of Six
By William Clapp
Located in Soquel, CA
A brilliant early 20th century impressionist floral still-life by William Clapp (American, 1879-1954). Beautiful and bold, this 1920's pink floral still-life pops against a bright blue background. The artist uses expressive and loose brushstrokes in a fun and energetic palette, bringing a dynamic and lively energy to this one-of-a-kind piece. Signed lower right, "W. Clapp". Oil on old Canada packing crate board and presented in a rustic wood frame. Board size: 20"H x 24"L. Framed size: 24"H x 28"W. This an early work by the artist which is distinctive in his bold Impressionist style before he merged into his signature pointillist style. Born in Montreal, Canada of American parents on Oct. 29, 1879. At age six Clapp moved to California with his family, settling in Oakland where he spent his childhood. In 1900 he returned to Montreal for four years of study with Wm Brymner followed by further study in Paris at Académies Julian, Colarossi, and Grande Chaumière. He then returned to Montreal where he was elected an associate member of the Royal Canadian Art Academy. He lived and worked in Cuba before returning to Oakland in 1917. He then served as director and curator of the Oakland Art Gallery from 1918-49. In this position, and as a member of a group of painters called the Society of Six...
Board, Oil
$2,200
H 43 in W 31 in D 1 in
Mid-Century Black Eyed Susan Floral Still Life
Located in Soquel, CA
Large scale mid-century floral still-life of black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia) by listed El Paso, Texas artist Lois Coleman Denton (American, 1897-1980). Signed "Lois Denton...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$1,775
H 19 in W 16 in D 2 in
Antique American Still Life with Flowers in a Blue Pitcher Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
A lyrical floral still life by Russian-American painter Nicolai S. Cikovsky (1894–1984), a key figure in the early 20th-century American Scene and Social Realist movements. In this i...
Oil, Board
$875
H 23 in W 19 in D 2 in
Antique American School Framed Impressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American impressionist still life oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. . In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a giltwood molding. Excellent condition, re...
Oil, Board
$5,500
H 14 in W 12 in D 1.75 in
"Flowers in a White Vase" Still Life Impressionist Oil Painting on Canvas Board
By Johann Berthelsen, 1883-1972
Located in New York, NY
A stunning jewel and pertinent example of Berthelsen's charming Still Life scenes. Here we find a white rose and two crimson flowers in a white vase set on top of a wooden glossy tab...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Sold
H 12.01 in W 16.15 in D 0.79 in
Animal Painting Dog Oil Royal College Art Artist Modern Bedlington Terrier
By Margaret Thomas
Located in Norfolk, GB
This beautifully gentle, oil on canvas-board work, was made by renown artist Margaret Thomas, a Modern British painter who trained in the inter-war years at both The Slade and The Royal College of Art in London. She was part of a generation of female artists who challenged inequality in the Academies. In 1943 she exhibited her first oil painting at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London. She went on to exhibit at the Royal Academy for another 46 consecutive years Item details: Margaret Thomas, Larry Lamb the First, Oil on Canvas board, 30.5cm x 41cm, unframed, c 1940's Provenance, direct from the artist The artwork comes with a certificate from the Gallery. This beautiful little painting has an endearing charm but also has the weighty feel of an artwork of substance and one that will stand the test of time. It has all the hallmarks of a painting by Margaret Thomas. Larry Lamb the First was Margaret Thomas's first Bedlington Terrier...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 15 in W 13 in
Matisse Ref Oil on Canvas Vase Abstract Blue White Flowers Woman Artist RA Slade
By Margaret Thomas
Located in Norfolk, GB
This beautifully compelling oil on canvas board work was made by renown artist Margaret Thomas, a Modern British painter who trained in the inter-war y...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Sold
H 59.26 in W 47.45 in D 3.15 in
PORTRAIT of Captain Cecil Alfred Tufton Otway (1845-1884) c.1877 Signed
By Margaret Thomas
Located in London, GB
This striking large scale portrait depicts Captain Cecil Tufton Otway, an army Captain, High Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1881 (when he resided at Newcastle Court), and a Politician. Born Cecil Alfred Otway in Bognor, Sussex, England in 1845, he was the eldest son of William John Marjoribanks Loftus-Otway of Otway Towers, Hertfordshire, and Georgiana Frances. The sitter has been depicted in the uniform of the Life Guards – a scarlet tunic, a metal cuirass and a matching helmet with a white plume worn bound on the top into an 'onion' shape – for which he was Captain of the 2nd Life Guards (the senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with the Blues and Royals) prior to December 1880. The sitter married Isabelle Hubertine Emma Caroline Le Clement de Taintegnies in 1870 and they had one son together. Cecil was living in London by 1871 and his surname changed to Otway around 1873 (as his father changed his surname by Royal Decree to Otway). He then married his second wife Margaret Abernethie McGregor Gordon (1855-1925) in Hanover, Jamaica in 1876 and the couple had one daughter, Ayliffe Tufton Otway (1877–1928) whilst they lived in London. The couple were living in Radnorhsire by 1880 and it is there that they gave birth to their son Cecil Waller Otway (1880-1918), one year prior to Cecil’s appointment of High Sheriff or Radnorshire in 1881. Having died in Brighton in 1884, aged 38 years old, he was interred, on his birthday, in the family tomb at Highgate Cemetery in London. According to his will he left an estate worth £12,419.10.3d. The canvas contains a stencil on the reverse “Kemp & Co, Artists and Colourmen, 9 Holden Terrace”. Kemp & Co were an artist’s supply business in London (1877-1940) and they operated from 9 Holden Terrace, Pimlico, London between 1877 to 1889. This portrait therefore can be accurately dated from 1877 when the canvas was supplied and no later than Dec 1880 when the sitter was no longer a Life Guard. This masculine portrait is in superb condition original condition having not undergone or required a lining process. Signed by Margaret Thomas...
Canvas, Oil