Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890-1978)

Gerald Leslie Brockhurst was one of the most celebrated and original portrait painters and printmakers of the inter-war years, whose sitters included the Duchess of Windsor and Marlene Dietrich. His portraits are characterised by their fine draughtsmanship and other-worldly qualities. He entered Birmingham School of Art at the age of twelve and went on to the Royal Academy where he won many prizes including a travelling scholarship which in 1912 took him to Paris and Italy. The influence of the Italian Renaissance, in particular the work of Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci, can often be seen in his portraits. Set in idealised landscapes, the sitter appears to float in the front of the picture plane.

Although undated, the present picture was most probably painted in the early 1920’s soon after his return from five years painting on the west coast of Ireland where he was close friends with Augustus John. An etching of Nadia is dated 1921.