| Creator Name | Frank Joseph Archer (1912-1995)
ARCA, 1937, ARE 1940, RE 1960; ARWS 1972, RWS 1976
A painter and etcher, Archer was born in Walthamstow, East London, on 30 June 1912 and brought up there during the First World War. The family later moved to Eastbourne, where his father worked as a chemist. He attended Eastbourne School of Art from 1928-1932, Brighton School of Art, and then the Royal College of Art (RCA) where he won the coveted Rome Scholarship in 1938. He married Celia Cole in 1939 and had two children. His studies in Italy were cut short by the outbreak of WW2 when he was conscripted into the Pioneer Corps. After the war Archer moved into teaching, in 1949 joining the staff of Kingston College of Art under another distinguished painter-etcher, Wilfred Fairclough and he eventually took over from Fairclough as Head of the School of Fine Art from 1962-1973 . He joined the Royal Society of Painters-Etchers in 1940, and in 1972 became first an Associate of the Royal Watercolour Society and later a Fellow. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the RWS. His work was exhibited in the Catto Gallery, Hampstead from its inception onwards and a retrospective of his paintings, drawings and etchings was held there in 1990. A major retrospective of his work was held at the the Bankside Gallery in 1992. Italy remained a constant source of inspiration throughout his life, as was his passionate interest in music. A key theme his work returned to was of concerts, preferring to paint people in movement rather than a posed model. He counted violinist Yehudi Mehuhin amongst his friends and knew many distinguished musicians, many of whom feature in his art. Archer's active last years were spent in Eastbourne, where he died on 31 March 1995. |
| Administrative History | From an exhibition of Frank Archer's work at the Royal Albert Hall during 1988. |
| Custodial History | Presented to Derek Lewis Esq for his services to the Royal Albert Hall Council from July 1981-May 2011. Presented by the Hall's President The Hon. Richard Lyttleton and by the Council to the Corporation. |