Rupert Shephard

Rupert Shephard
Born	(1909-02-12)12 February 1909 Islington, London, England
Died	16 March 1992(1992-03-16)(aged 83) London, England
Education	Slade School of Fine Art
Known for	Painting, drawing
Spouse	Nicolette Macnamara ​ ​ (m.1965; died 1987)​
Relatives	Caitlin Thomas(sister-in-law)

Rupert Norman Shephard(12 February 1909 – 16 March 1992) was an English painter, illustrator and art teacher.

Early life

Shephard was born inIslington,the son of an engineer and a charity worker, who were bothQuakersand keen amateur artists. He attendedRepton School,before studying at theSlade School of Fine Artfrom 1926 to 1929. After graduating from the Slade, Shephard taught at Raynes Park County School whilst painting at night and often in pubs and music halls.In 1929, he began to exhibit with theLondon Groupat both the Wertheim Gallery and the Coolings Gallery. Throughout 1937 to 1939 Shephard exhibited with the founding members of theEuston Road School,William Coldstream,Claude RogersandVictor Pasmoreat theStorran Gallerywhilst continuing to exhibit with the London Group. Shephard held his first solo exhibition at the Calman Gallery in 1939.

World War II

Lorries Transporting Landing Craft, Royal Albert Docks, London(1945) (Art.IWM ART LD 5293)

From 1940 to 1943, Shephard worked as an industrial draughtsman but continued to paint and submitted several paintings, on industrial production topics, to theWar Artists' Advisory Committee,WAAC. These included a series of five pictures,Women in Industryand a scene inside an aircraft repair workshop.In the spring of 1945, WAAC offered Shephard a full-time contract with theMinistry of War Transport,which he completed with a number of scenes painted in London.

Later life

From 1946 to 1948 Shephard taught at theCentral School of Arts and Craftsin London.In 1942, Shephard had married his first wife, the daughter of a British businessman based in South Africa and in 1948 the couple moved to Cape Town with their children. Shephard spent fifteen years in South Africa as the director of the Michaelis Art School at theUniversity of Cape Town.He had ten solo exhibitions in South Africa and also exhibited internationally. In 1962 his wife died and Shephard and his three children returned to Britain.In 1965 Shephard married the artistNicolette Macnamarawhose sister,Caitlin,was the widow ofDylan Thomas.Shephard knew Nicolette from when they were both students at the Slade together and had previously painted portraits of Thomas and both sisters. In 1972 Shephard was elected toRoyal Society of Portrait Painters.Shephard continued to paint portraits and exhibition pieces but failing eyesight ended his career in 1990 and two years later he died of cancer in London.

Collections holding works by Rupert Shephard include theImperial War Museum,theRAF Museum,theNational Portrait Gallery,and theBritish Museum. Shephard's paintingPortrait of Mrs Marie Lydia Grantwas burned by demonstrators during theRhodes Must Fallprotests at theUniversity of Cape Town,UCT, in February 2016.One other painting,Portrait of JP Duminy,was removed from UCT in 2016.

Bibliography

• 1954Capescapes(verse illustrated with lino-cuts),
• 1966Passing Scenes: Eighteen Images of Southern Africa(Stourton Press,London)
• 1977Cockcrow and other Verses
• 1977 Reissue ofPassing Scenes: Eighteen Images of Southern Africa

External links

• 32 artworks by or after Rupert Shephardat theArt UKsite