Neville Lewis – South African Artist, Paintings 1895 - 1972

Alfred Neville Lewis was born in Cape Town, South Africa 1895 - 1972

Art Education
- 1912 : Neville Lewis studied under Stanhope Forbes in Newlyn, Cornwall
- 1914 – 1916 : Slade School, London, under Henry Tonks, Wilson Steer, Ambrose McEvoy and Derwent Lees.

Short Artist Biography
- After education at South African College, Cape Town, proceeded to England for art studies; concentrated on portraiture; much influenced by Augustus John.
- 1916 – 1918 : Neville Lewis served in the ranks of British armed forces in France and Italy.
- 1918 – 1938 : after the war Neville Lewis took a studio in London and soon acquired a reputation as a portrait-painter; interrupted his studio activity to spend some time in South Africa painting tribal subjects in remote districts of the Transkei; exhibited these in London. A convivial personality he made friends easily and numerous celebrated and influential personages helped him to further his career; worked and exhibited in Europe and United States of America.
- 1938 : while in South Africa, Neville Lewis painted in Bechuanaland (Botswana); member of the New Group, was working in Cape Town when World War 2 broke out.
- 1949 – 1945 : Neville Lewis commissioned as first Official South African War Artist, designed South African War postage-stamps; worked in Kenya and North Africa, often with forces near the front-line; on leaving the army, lived for a while in Cape Town, then returned to London, but was startled at the changes and came home to settle permanently in Stellenbosch; undertook commissions in all parts of South Africa.
- 1963 : published “Studio Encounters”, an autobiographical account of some of his experiences and several of the personalities who sat for him. Member of the Royal Soc of Portrait Painters. In later years, Neville Lewis devoted much time to still-life subjects.

Art Exhibitions
- Numerous on-man exhibitions in London, South Africa, Europe and United States of America.
- 1941 – 1945 : South African War Art Exhibitions.
- 1948 “ Overseas Exhibition of South African Art, Tate Gallery, et al.
- 1952 : Van Riebeeck Tercent Exhibition, Cape Town.
- 1953 : Rhodes Centenary Exhibition, Bulawayo.

Commissions
- Sir Winston Churchill, Field Marshall JC Smuts; King Alfonso X!!! of Spain; King George II of Greece; Field Marshall Lord Montgomery; Field Marshall Lord Alexander; Chief Tshekedi Khama; Solly Joel; Paul Sauer; Dr E Dönges; ex-chief Albert Luthuli, etc.

Public Art collections
South Africa : South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Durban Art Gallery; South African National War Museum, Johannesburg; Africana Museum, Johannesburg; William Humphreys Gallery, Kimberley. United Kingdom : National Gallery, London; Tate Gallery; Imperial War Museum; various Municipal Galleries. Also Gallery of Modern Art, Madrid

Source
Berman, E. 1994. Art & Artists of South Africa . Southern Book Publishers.

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