Julian Trevelyan RA British, 1910-1988

Julian Trevelyan was born at the family home, 'Shiffolds', on Leith hill, near Dorking on 20th February 1910. He was educated at The Farm School run by Roger Fry's sister Isobel and then at Bedales School (1923-28). At 18, Trevelyan went to Trinity College, Cambridge to read English Literature, here, his interest in dreams and the subconscious was confirmed. In 1929 he first exhibited work with the London Group.

After two years Trevelyan left Cambridge having decided to move to Paris to become an artist. He rented a studio in Villa Brune in Montparnasse, which he shared for a time with George Reavey; Alexander Calder worked in the next studio. He briefly attended art classes at the Académie Moderne run by Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant, before finally enrolling in Stanley William Hayter's engraving school (called 'Atelier Dix-Sept' from 1933, a name suggested by Trevelyan). It was here, he first learnt the techniques of etching and immersed himself at night in the pleasures of Montparnasse.

At the outbreak of WWII, he joined S. W. Hayter`s Industrial Camouflage Research Unit. He subsequently served as a camouflage office with the Royal Engineersbased at Farnham designing pill boxes (with Oliver Messel). In 1942, he was sent to Africa and the Middle east, firstly to Lagos, then Cairo, to report on desert camouflage. He was later posted to Inverary in Scotland and, having become desperately disillusioned and unhappy, was eventually invalided out of the army on the recommendation of a sympathetic psychiatrist. In the same year (1943), Trevelyan`s only child, a son, Philip Erasmus Trevelyan, was born.

In 1950, Trevelyan became a member of the London group. In 1951, he married Mary Fedden, a fellow painter, from whom he would become inseparable.Both artists painted a series of murals for the Festival of Britain (1950-51) and the Wheatley Road School in Welwyn Garden City.

Trevelyan was one of the founder members of the Printmakers Council (1965). He and Mary also travelled widely during this time, visiting Gozo (1963), Greece and Crete (1964), Italy (1965), Uganda (1966 - as external examiner to Makerere College of Art), France (1966), India (1967-68), Malta (1968 and 1970), Turkey, Italy and Spain (1969), France and Italy (1971), Morocco (1972) and France (1973). In 1971, Trevelyan began a contract with Leslie Waddington Prints Ltd and produced work solely for them until 1975. In 1973, he was elected President of the Printmaker's  Council, London.

In July 1986, Trevelyan was awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Royal College of Art, London and in September 1987, he was appointed Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts, London.