Lionel Bulmer & Margaret Green
Margaret Green and Lionel Bulmer with artists’ model.
When Margaret Green (1925–2003) contacted the gallery after Lionel’s death in
1992, we had little idea of the amazing output that these two artists had achieved in a lifetime painting partnership. Unique in that respect alone their paintings
also leave a colourful survey of post-war Britain moving towards sunlit pictures of beach holidays spent on the Suffolk coast. Now, some twenty years later, their
work is enjoying a long awaited re-appraisal and we are proud to present a further selection of work covering this period.
DM
Essay by David Boyd Haycock
a painting partnership
Lionel Bulmer NEAC, 1919–1992
Margaret Green NEAC, 1925–2003
2018
Lionel Bulmer
1. Embankment
pen and wash 35 x 45 cms 13 3⁄4 x 17 3⁄4 ins Atelier no. 1215
www.messums.com 28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG Telephone: +44 (0)20 7437 5545
Lionel Bulmer
2. The Pleasure Gardens
oil on board 66 x 102 cms 26 x 40 ins Atelier no. 1122a
INTRODUCTION ‘They were the most married people you could possibly imagine,’ an old friend once recalled. ‘They were never out of each others’ sight or hearing.’ Lionel Bulmer and Margaret Green met as students at the Royal College of Art in 1944 and though they did not actually marry until 1991, they remained a tightlyknit unit until Lionel’s death from cancer early the following year. When Margaret died just over a decade later, The Telegraph’s obituary observed that the couple’s ‘devoted artistic partnership that lasted nearly half a century … was, in its close personal and painterly sympathies, perhaps unique in British twentieth-century art.’ This extraordinary romantic collaboration produced a wealth of wonderful paintings, watercolours and highly accomplished drawings by both partners – art that is very much of its time and place, yet also timeless in its precision, honesty and beauty. Lionel, who was six years older than Margaret and had grown up in London, had seen active service during the war. When he arrived at the RCA in 1944 it was still located in its bucolic war-time exile of the Lake District, but it soon returned
Lionel Bulmer
3. Embankment
watercolour 56 x 35 cms 217⁄8 x 133⁄4 ins Atelier no. 1204
Lionel Bulmer 4. The Aviary
watercolour 38 x 50 cms 15 x 195⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1205
to London. And it was there that the couple began their professional careers. But London in the years immediately after the Second World War was no easy time or place to be an artist. The prevailing atmosphere of austerity and exhaustion is obvious in Bulmer and Green’s early work: paintings and drawings of shop interiors and cafés, or parks, gardens and street corners in muted shades of green, brown and yellow that evoke the Euston Road school of William Coldstream and the broader ‘kitchen-sink’ realism of the mid 1950s and early 1960s. They found studios in Chelsea, as well as part-time teaching jobs, and among his post-war contemporaries Lionel Bulmer was soon picked out for success: in 1951, The Studio identified him as ‘a young painter who should create work of consequence,’ and by 1955 The Manchester Guardian declared that his landscapes at the New English Art Club had ‘already won some recognition’ whilst more recent works ‘suggest that his reputation is about to grow fast.’ That reputation sadly never grew quite fast enough to release him from teaching: he found a part-time position at Kingston College of Art, where he would remain for the rest of his career – whilst Green eventually took up a teaching post at the Royal Academy Schools in the 1960s. Teaching, however, was only ever a way to pay the bills: practicing and exhibiting as artists was always their vocation and true purpose. Lionel Bulmer
5. Beside the Bridge
pen and wash 35 x 91 cms 133⁄4 x 36 ins Atelier no. 1222
It was Margaret who directed them to the more colourful artistic opportunities offered by the seaside. She had grown up near the sea (albeit the industrialised coast line of Hartlepool, in County Durham, where her father worked as a stocktaker in a steel plant), and they wanted to find a permanent home near water, whilst still being in easy distance of London. They first found a bare room above a boathouse overlooking the River Arun at Littlehampton, in West Sussex, before in the late 1950s buying a run-down thatched cottage by the River Rat near Stowmarket, in rural West Suffolk. Slowly furnished and refurbished, this would become home for the rest of their lives. It also became the scene for paintings, for both artists had developed a great sensitivity for interiors. At times their paintings have the subtly of colour and intensity of focus that is to be found in the interiors of Gwen John. A travelling scholarship Margaret won whilst at the RCA allowed them to travel in France, but they remained very much English painters, fascinated by English subjects and locations. The Suffolk beaches at Walberswick and Southwold that had once inspired the great English Impressionist Philip Wilson Steer became regular haunts. The transformation this landscape eventually wrought in Bulmer’s painting was particularly notable, and in the 1960s sunlight seemed to burst in upon his work. Whilst Green’s palette remained more subdued, many of Lionel’s
Lionel Bulmer 6. Beach Scene
pen on paper 20 x 17 cms 7 5⁄8 x 61⁄2 ins Atelier no. 1184
Lionel Bulmer 7. Beach Scene
pen on paper 17 x 22 cms 61⁄2 x 81⁄2 ins Atelier no. 1183
Lionel Bulmer 8. Beach
pen and ink 19 x 15 cms 75⁄8 x 57⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1207
paintings in this exhibition dating from the 1960s until the end of his life capture the English seaside at its glorious, flamboyant best. This colour transformation was also marked by a dramatic change of technique. When a friend observed that the couple’s work was ‘moving from the similar to the indistinguishable,’ Lionel made his exciting shift into pointillism – inspired, in part, by a painting he much admired in the collection of Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Philip Wilson Steer’s wonderful 1888 painting of children playing knucklebones on the beach at Walberswick. Such was the couple’s closeness that following Lionel’s death, Margaret found it impossible to ever complete another painting. But she was still able to enjoy the huge success their work received when it was exhibited at Messum’s in the early 2000s, attending the private views (as The Guardian noted) with ‘a radiant beauty’. It is hard to give a better description of her career than that offered in The Telegraph’s obituary in November 2003. Identifying her as ‘one of the more consistently interesting and perceptive figurative painters of her generation,’ notice was also made of Green’s valuable work as a teacher. But ‘teaching was always a means to an end for her, not a career. That end was essentially the life, creative and personal, she was shaping in partnership with her husband. It is what characterises Margaret Green 9. Seated Figure
oil on board 23 x 15 cms 9 x 6 ins Atelier no. 054
Margaret Green
10. Family Group
oil on board 50 x 73 cms 195⁄8 x 283⁄4 ins Atelier no. 247
Margaret Green 11. Playground
oil on canvassed board 27 x 20 cms 103⁄4 x 8 ins Atelier no. 361
Lionel Bulmer
12. Beach Scene, Seaton Carew
oil on board  51 x 61 cms 20 x 24 ins Atelier no. 170
Lionel Bulmer
13. Aldeburgh Beach
oil on canvas 64 x 77 cms 251⁄4 x 301⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1124
and gives strength to her work at every stage of her life. Thus, if you want to know what it was really like to be an art student in that bleak and menacing post-war world, her densely-toned, claustrophobic interiors, so intimate and richly layered in their tender observation as to invite comparison with Vuillard, give you as good an idea as you could wish for.’ Whilst Lionel exhibited more widely than Margaret in their lifetime, oil paintings, watercolours and drawings by both artists were to be regularly seen at exhibitions of the New English Art Club, the Royal Academy’s summer exhibitions, and at commercial galleries around London. Their work is to be found in the Government Art Collection, the British Museum and the Royal Collection, as well as in various national and private collections around the UK. It is testament to a glorious and most extraordinary partnership in art. David Boyd Haycock
writer and curator
Lionel Bulmer
14. Washing Line
oil on board 25 x 36 cms 97⁄8 x 14 ins Atelier no. 122
Margaret Green
15. Thoughtful Pose
oil on panel 36 x 27 cms 14 x 101⁄2 ins Atelier no. 115
Lionel Bulmer
16. Kingfisher Dome
oil on board 25 x 21 cms 97⁄8 x 81⁄4 ins Atelier no. 246
Margaret Green
17. In the Tea House
oil on board 41 x 54 cms 16 x 211⁄8 ins Atelier no. 195
Margaret Green
18. Cottage Interior
oil on board 46 x 60 cms 181⁄8 x 235⁄8 ins Atelier no. 214
Lionel Bulmer
19. Twilight in the Park
oil on board 51 x 71 cms 201⁄8 x 281⁄8 ins Atelier no. 965
Margaret Green
20. Contentment
oil on board 21 x 47 cms 81⁄8 x 181⁄2 ins Atelier no. 206
Lionel Bulmer
21. New Plantings
oil on board 27 x 20 cms 10 5⁄8 x 7 7⁄8 ins Atelier no. 254
Lionel Bulmer 22. Reading
oil on board 26 x 34 cms 10 x 133⁄8 ins Atelier no. 137
Lionel Bulmer
23. New Fashions
oil on canvassed board 26 x 34 cms 101⁄8 x 131⁄2 ins Atelier no. 1058
Lionel Bulmer
24. The Corner House
oil on canvas 51 x 66 cms 197⁄8 x 26 ins Atelier no. 068a
Lionel Bulmer 25. Fireplace
oil on board 23 x 17 cms 87⁄8 x 61⁄2 ins Atelier no. 295
Margaret Green 26. White Jug
oil on board 27 x 21 cms 103⁄8 x 81⁄8 ins Atelier no. 083
Margaret Green
27. White Flowers
oil on board 21 x 26 cms 81⁄8 x 10 ins Atelier no. 093
Margaret Green
28. Cottage Interior
oil on canvas   46 x 36 cms 18 x 14 ins Atelier no. 350
Margaret Green
29. Purple Curtain Ties
oil on board 51 x 62 cms 201⁄8 x 241⁄4 ins Atelier no. 220
Margaret Green
30. Cottage Interior
oil on board 24 x 34 cms 91⁄2 x 133⁄8 ins Atelier no. 152
Margaret Green
31. Interior, Seated Woman
oil on board 31 x 14 cms 12 x 51⁄2 ins Atelier no. 198
Margaret Green 32. Resting
oil on board 15 x 23 cms 57⁄8 x 9 ins Atelier no. 372a
Margaret Green
33. Still Life, Pear with Bowl
oil on board 25 x 35 cms 97⁄8 x 135⁄8 ins Atelier no. 150
Margaret Green
34. Window Curtains
oil on board 34 x 26 cms 133⁄8 x 10 ins Atelier no. 147
Margaret Green 35. Oil Lamp
oil on board 33 x 24 cms 12 3⁄4 x 91⁄4 ins Atelier no. 117
Margaret Green 36. Ironing
oil on board 51 x 61 cms 197⁄8 x 24 ins Atelier no. 225
Margaret Green
37. Garden's Blossom through the French Windows
oil on board  76 x 51 cms 30 x 20 ins Atelier no. 240
Margaret Green 38. Interior
oil on board 76 x 51 cms 297⁄8 x 197⁄8 ins Atelier no. 231
Lionel Bulmer
39. Patterned Rug and Lamp
oil on board 15 x 23 cms 57⁄8 x 9 ins Atelier no. 283
Lionel Bulmer
40. Lamp and Lace
oil on board 51 x 76 cms 201⁄8 x 297⁄8 ins Atelier no. 806
Lionel Bulmer
41. Patterned Rug
oil on board 51 x 61 cms 197⁄8 x 24 ins Atelier no. 025
Lionel Bulmer
42. Summertime I
oil on board  41 x 51 cms 16 x 20 ins Atelier no. 152
Lionel Bulmer
43. Summertime II
oil on canvas  76 x 102 cms 30 x 40 ins Atelier no. 1010
Lionel Bulmer
44. In the Dunes
oil on canvas 122 x 91 cms 48 x 357⁄8 ins
Lionel Bulmer
45. The Riverbank
oil on board 31 x 31 cms 12 x 12 ins Atelier no. 397
Lionel Bulmer 46. Reflections
oil on canvas 102 x 76 cms 40 x 30 ins Atelier no. 1005
Lionel Bulmer
47. Bathing Huts
oil on board 51 x 76 cms 197⁄8 x 297⁄8 ins Atelier no. 796
Lionel Bulmer 48. Southwold
oil on board 51 x 76 cms 201⁄8 x 297⁄8 ins Atelier no. 787
Lionel Bulmer
49. Benacre Dunes
oil on board  41 x 51 cms 16 x 20 ins Atelier no. 694
Lionel Bulmer
50. Towards the Sea
oil on board 51 x 76 cms 197⁄8 x 297⁄8 ins Atelier no. 783
Margaret Green
51. End of the Day
oil on canvassed board 49 x 31 cms 191⁄4 x 121⁄4 ins Atelier no. 430
Lionel Bulmer 52. Beach
oil on board  31 x 31 cms 12 x 12 ins Atelier no. 520
Lionel Bulmer
53. Figures and Deckchair
oil on board 26 x 34 cms 10 x 133⁄8 ins Atelier no. 419
Lionel Bulmer
54. Breakwater
oil on board   31 x 41 cms 12 x 16 ins Atelier no. 593
Lionel Bulmer
55. Towards Southwold
oil on canvas  61 x 76 cms 24 x 30 ins Atelier no. 044
Lionel Bulmer
56. Beach Parasol I
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147k
Lionel Bulmer
57. Beach Parasol II
gouache on pape 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147b
Lionel Bulmer
58. On the Beach
oil on board  61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins Atelier no. 777
Lionel Bulmer
59. On the Promenade
oil on board 31 x 46 cms 12 x 181⁄8 ins Atelier no. 597
Lionel Bulmer 60. Kite Flying
oil on board 61 x 61 cms 237⁄8 x 24 ins Atelier no. 779
Lionel Bulmer
61. Orange Windbreak
oil on board 26 x 35 cms 101⁄4 x 133⁄4 ins Atelier no. 121
Lionel Bulmer
62. After a Swim
oil on board 61 x 61 cms 24 x 237⁄8 ins Atelier no. 040
Lionel Bulmer 63. Low Tide
oil on board  61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins Atelier no. 039
Lionel Bulmer
64. Beach Towel
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147e
Lionel Bulmer
65. Changing on the Beach
oil on board   61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins Atelier no. 776
Lionel Bulmer
66. Fishermen's Huts on the Blythe
oil on board 26 x 34 cms 10 x 133⁄8 ins Atelier no. 489
Lionel Bulmer
67. Beside the Pier I
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147d
Lionel Bulmer
68. Beside the Breakwater
gouache on paper 18 x 24 cms 67⁄8 x 91⁄4 ins Atelier no. 1147h
Lionel Bulmer
69. The Pier, Walberswick
oil on board   61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins Atelier no. 042
Lionel Bulmer
70. Family Fun on the Beach
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147j
Lionel Bulmer
71. Together on the Beach
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147g
Lionel Bulmer
72. Southwold Beach Party
oil on board 51 x 61 cms 197⁄8 x 24 ins Atelier no. 746
Lionel Bulmer
73. The Striped Windbreak
oil on board 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins Atelier no. 032
Lionel Bulmer
74. Beach Walk
oil on board 41 x 51 cms 16 x 201⁄8 ins Atelier no. 683
Lionel Bulmer
75. Windbreaks
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147i
Lionel Bulmer
76. Beach Party
gouache on paper 24 x 18 cms 91⁄4 x 67⁄8 ins Atelier no. 1147c
Lionel Bulmer
77. Family on the Beach
oil on board  51 x 41 cms 20 x 16 ins Atelier no. 151
Lionel Bulmer 78. Paddling
gouache on paper 18 x 24 cms 67⁄8 x 91⁄4 ins Atelier no. 1147f
Lionel Bulmer
79. On the Beach
oil on board 30 x 31 cms 113⁄4 x 12 ins Atelier no. 371
ISBN 978-1-910993-40-8 Publication No: CXLVIII Published by David Messum Fine Art Š David Messum Fine Art All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Studio, Lords Wood, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Tel: 01628 486565 www.messums.com Photography: Steve Russell Printed by DLM-Creative
Margaret Green
End of the Day (no. 52.)