Coster and Piano Player, circa 1938
'Apart from his radiant gifts as a colourist Ceri Richards is also an exceptionally rare draughtsman. In his best work... these two attributes combine together with singular power and persuasiveness.'- B. Robertson, Ceri Richards: A Retrospective Exhibition (exh. cat.), Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1960, p.3
Ceri Richards was born in Dunvant, near Swansea in Wales. He studied at Swansea School of Art (1921-1924) and at the Royal College of Art, London (1924-1927) where he was exposed to the variety and innovation of modern European art. Particularly inspired by the work of Max Ernst, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, Richards was also heavily influenced by the Surrealists of the 1930s, culminating in his inclusion in the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London, where he was viewed alongside the likes of Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, and Rene Magritte. Famous for his versatility, Richards absorbed the many influences available in mid-twentieth century Britain, yet retained his own originality of thought, draughtsmanship, and composition.
With the outbreak of war, Richards left his teaching at Chelsea School of Art, and colleagues including Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland, and spent a short time as a farm labourer in Suffolk, before he was appointed head of painting at the Cardiff School of Art, in Wales, where he also contributed to the war effort as a Home Guard on night watches. Returning to London in 1944, Richards returned to his post at Chelsea, also teaching at the Slade and the RCA, and was represented by Marlborough Fine Art.
Richards went on to win international prizes, becoming a trustee of the Tate, and in 1960 the Whitechapel Art Gallery mounted a major retrospective of his work. In 1962, Richards represented Britain at the Venice Biennale.