SEAGO, Edward

1910 - 1974

Edward Brian Seago was born at 13 Christchurch Road, Norwich on 31 March 1910, son of Lowestoft born Francis Brian Seago (23 February 1882-21 June 1959), a coal merchant's manager, and his wife, Mabel Reeve née Woodroffe (1879-1963), who married at Norwich in 1905, Mabel was the sister of Gertrude Susannah Woodroffe. Edward, known as Ted, was educated at South Lodge Boarding School at Lowestoft in Suffolk and was a self-taught artist, although at the age of 14, he won an award from the Royal Drawing Society and received encouragement from both Alfred Munnings and Bertram Priestman. At the age of eighteen, Seago joined Bevin's Travelling Show and subsequently toured with circuses in Britain and throughout Europe. Heart problems, identified at the age of seven, dogged him all his life and he had to resort to subterfuge to join the army at the outbreak of the Second World War. He was commissioned as a Major in the Royal Engineers and advised on camouflage techniques for Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck (1884-1981), with whom he had a lifelong friendship. He painted in both oils and watercolours and his works have been classified as either Impressionist or Post-Impressionist and included landscapes, seascapes, skyscapes, street scenes, his garden, and portraits. The Queen Mother purchased so many that eventually the artist gave her two each year, on her birthday and at Christmas, and in 1956 Prince Philip invited him on a tour of the Antarctic, and his subsequent paintings, considered to be among his best, hang at Balmoral. Seago died of a brain tumour in London on 19 January 1974. In his will he requested that one third of his paintings from his estate were to be destroyed but there remained about 19,000 watercolours and 300 oil paintings worldwide. He was a member and exhibitor at the Ipswich Art Club from 1927 and on the death of Anna Airy, was elected president of the Club, a position that he held until his death. He exhibited at the Ipswich Art Club from c/o Wroxham Art Gallery, Norfolk in 1927, four works 'Marsh Gate', 'The Rain-cloud', 'Dusk' and 'A High Tide, Walberswick' and was a regular exhibitor and, at the Centenary Exhibition in 1974, his watercolour 'The Granneries' and an oil 'Cliffe at Dieppe' were on display, he also exhibited at Wroxham Art Gallery and was also a member and exhibitor at the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle 1926-1932, from The Lodge, Brooke, Norfolk. He signed his work 'Edward Seago' block letters.

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Works by This Artist