Tag: Claire Leighton

Born in London on 12 April 1898, the English/American artist, writer and illustrator, Claire Leighton is best known for her wood engravings. In 1915, she began formal studies at the Brighton College of Art and later trained at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she studied wood engraving under Noel Rooke. She later went on to become a hugely visible artist on both sides of the Atlantic, and her vast oeuvre includes engravings, paintings, bookplates, illustrations and stained glass. Her twelve plates for Wedgewood, New England Industries, 1952, are amongst her best-known work. She exhibited with the SWE in London (1923) and at the 1934 Venice Biennale – attaining full membership to the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in the same year. She also made several tours of the United States, becoming a naturalised citizen in 1945. By the time of her death, Leighton had authored twelve books and made over 840 prints.