Arthur Keene 1930 - 2013

British figure, landscape and still life painter in oils and watercolours.

Arthur Keene attended Coventry Art School and then Birmingham Art College after which he spent four months in Rome where he focused on portraiture and architecture. His time in Rome formed his style, especially in his works on paper.

The artist first worked for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust as a chief guide at Hall’s Croft during which period he continued to produce portraits and other paintings, mainly watercolours, several of which were commissioned by the trust. He left to become a full time artist and for over forty years, he taught art at Stratford College. His main focus was on teaching rather than his own practice, hence, his exposure to the art market has been rare but valuable, prior to his retirement.

Keene’s diverse work has been exhibited some of the UK’s most prestigious galleries, such as the Royal Academy, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and Royal Birmingham Society of Arts. He was represented by the Rowley Galley, Sue Rankin Gallery and Thackeray Gallery, in London and the Ruskin Gallery and Andrew Clayton Gallery in Stratford on Avon. His work has also been exhibited several times in the USA.

The River Avon in central England flows generally south-westwards and is a major left-bank tributary of the River Severn, of which it is the easternmost. It is also known as the Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon, to distinguish it from several other rivers of the same name in the United Kingdom.