Sold at Auction: Gilbert Mason

Gilbert Mason was an artist and teacher. There seem to be a few hundred works existing mostly in private collections in the Midlands although there are probably rather more sketches in the hands of former students. There are several works in public collections. This website is occasionally updated as correspondents tell me more.

1913 Born in Newport, Gwent.
One of four brothers brought up in an orphanage in South Wales.
1930-34 Studied at Newport College of Art.
1934-37 Studied at the Royal College of Art in London as an etcher, engraver and draughtsman.
1938-40, started his teaching career at Leeds School of Art.
1940-43 Served in the Military Police
1943-45 Transferred to R.A.F. Medmenham, working for the Central Photographic Interpretation unit, (Model Making Section) of the RAF. His job involved interpretation of aerial reconnaissance photographs and making 3-D models of major military operational areas to assist with battle planning. These models played an important role in the planning of the Normandy Landings of June 1944.
1945-49 resumed his teaching career at Leeds School of Art.
1950-52 took up the post of Vice-Principal of Eastbourne School of Art.
1952-70 moved to Birmingham College of Art where he stayed for the remainder of his teaching career finally becoming Head of the School of Painting.
1970(?) Retired to Shirenewton in South Wales, several of the paintings in the collection date to his time there.
Gilbert was married but his wife died young of meningitis, he didn't re-marry although he was a charmer with an eye for the ladies. He had no children. (A former student tells me of college rumours of wife and children killed by WW2 bombing but I have no substantive information to that effect.)