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Anna Airy Art

British, 1882-1964

Anna Airy was an English oil painter, pastel artist and etcher. She was one of the first women officially commissioned as a war artist and was recognized as one of the leading women artists of her generation. Airy was born in Greenwich, London, as the daughter of an engineer, Wilfrid Airy and Anna née Listing and the granddaughter of the Astronomer Royal Sir George Biddell Airy. Airy trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1899 to 1903, where she studied alongside William Orpen and Augustus John and under Fred Brown, Henry Tonks and Philip Wilson Steer. Airy won prizes at the Slade School for portrait, figure and other subjects. She also received the Slade School Scholarship in 1902. She won the Melville Nettleship Prize in 1900, 1901 and 1902. During World War I, Airy was given commissions in several factories and painted her canvases on-site in often difficult and, sometimes, dangerous conditions. For example, while working at great speed to paint A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London in an extremely hot environment, it is said that the ground became so hot that her shoes were burnt off her feet. This painting was featured in an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum's 2011–2012 exhibition “Women War Artists”. In June 1918, the Munitions Committee of the Imperial War Museum, IWM, commissioned her to create four paintings representing typical scenes in four munitions factories. The Chilwell commission was replaced by a request for a painting of work at the Singer factory in Glasgow. Airy was also commissioned by the Women's Work Section of the IWM during the war. In 1917 she was commissioned by the Canadian War Memorials Fund and in 1940 by the Ministry of Munitions. Airy was married to artist Geoffrey Buckingham Pocock and for many years, the couple lived at Haverstock Hill in Hampstead before moving to Playford near Ipswich. Airy's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1905 and each subsequent year until 1956. Her first solo exhibition was held at the Carfax Gallery in 1908. Airy also exhibited at the Paris Salon and in Italy, Canada and in the United States. She has been represented in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Imperial War Museum. Her work also appeared in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Vancouver and Ottawa in Canada; and the Corporation Art Galleries of Liverpool, Leeds, Huddersfield, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Rochdale, Ipswich, Doncaster, Lincoln, Harrogate, Paisley and Newport. Her etching Forerunners of Fruit is in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

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Artist: Anna Airy
Portrait of a Boy - British Art Deco interior painting seated male female artist
By Anna Airy
Located in London, GB
This large stunning watercolour portrait was painted circa 1930 by noted British female artist Anna Airy. The portrait depicts a full length boy seated in a beautiful Art Deco interi...
Category

1930s Art Deco Anna Airy Art

Materials

Watercolor

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Anna Airy art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Anna Airy art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Anna Airy in paint, watercolor and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1930s and is mostly associated with the Art Deco style. Not every interior allows for large Anna Airy art, so small editions measuring 23 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Christopher Sanders, Joan Fairfax Whiteside ARRC FMAA, and Jaro Fabry. Anna Airy art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $5,050 and tops out at $5,050, while the average work can sell for $5,050.

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