AGAINST THE ODDS: EDGAR HOLLOWAY (Hardback)

Edgar Holloway, the Doncaster-born son of a miner, turned print seller, was recognised as an infant prodigy and given his first exhibition in London in 1931, aged 17. He was an acclaimed portraitist of, among others, T S Eliot, Stephen Spender, Herbert Read, and noted for his series of etched self-portraits, and for lively watercolour landscapes. He renounced fine art under the influence of Eric Gill, whose favourite model he married. They raised their family at Ditchling in Sussex, where he joined the Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, working as a commercial artist. Returning to fine art in the 1970s, he carried out portrait and landscape commissions in the USA. He presided over the last years of the Guild. His style developed in the 1980s, and after his second marriage, national touring exhibitions of his work brought renewed recognition. Written by his second wife, Jennifer, and published to celebrate the centenary of Edgar Holloway’s birth. Well illustrated with examples of various aspects of his work – etchings, wood engravings and watercolours.