Eric Ravilious 1903-1942

Born in 1903, Ravilious earned a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art (RCA) from 1922 to 1925, where he was mentored by William Rothenstein and Paul Nash, and met his lifelong friend Edward Bawden. He initially gained recognition for his wood engravings in the 1920s. By 1936, he had begun creating lithographs with the Curwen Press and accepted commissions for illustrations and book jacket designs, all while continuing to paint the southern English landscape.

In 1941, Ravilious was appointed as one of the first Official War Artists for the Royal Navy and was transferred to the Air Ministry the following year. During a mission to Iceland in August of that year, he tragically lost his life while participating in an air sea rescue operation. The Imperial War Museum commemorated his legacy with a significant retrospective exhibition in 2004, and his works are featured in numerous public collections.