COLLINS, Henry

1910 - 1994

Henry William Collins was born at 25 Bergholt Road, Colchester, Essex on 11 April 1910, son of Henry Percy Collins (14 December 1882-July 1963), a gas fitter, and his wife Mary née Beagen (16 July 1884-), who married at Mile End, Colchester on 15 May 1909. Henry won a scholarship in 1923 to Colchester School of Art followed by studies at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London and in 1930 won prizes at the Chocolate and Confectionery Exhibition at Olympia, London for his designs for tops of boxes and in the 1930s designed posters for London Underground. During the Second World War he served with the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers and after the war he worked as a freelance designer on commissions from the Central Office of Information and the Festival of Britain. Henry taught part-time for twenty-five years in the Graphic Design Department at St Martin's School of Art in London as well as at Colchester School of Art also at adult education centres. Along with fellow painters, John Nash and Cedric Morris, Henry was a founder member of the Colchester Art Society. He married at Tendring, Essex in 1938, fellow artist Joyce Pallot and together they worked on many murals and exhibition designs, for Jamestown Festival, USA; Brussels Exhibition; Expo 70; Shell Centre; GPO Tower, London; Grosvenor House, London; Ind Coope Ltd; Philips Business Systems; Sainsburys Supermarket; Cwmbran Arts Trust; Essex County Council and IBM, London, and many others. Henry exhibited at the Royal Academy; the Colchester Art Society also at the Ipswich Art Club from 195 Lexden Road, Colchester in 1977, two paintings ‘Trinity Yard, Harwich’ and ‘Lexden Park’ but exhibited widely. Henry William Collins died at 195 Lexden Road, Colchester on 25 July 1994. A memorial exhibition was held at Essex County Libraries in 1995-1996.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 195 Lexden Road, Colchester
1955 436 Still Life
1968 649 Welsh Landscape - gouache & watercolour
         655 February on the Colne - collage & gouache

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Works by This Artist