An Inventory of His Art Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Evershed, Peter, 1925-2020
Title:
Peter Evershed Art
Collection
Dates:
1945-1950s, 2005
Extent:
7 art works
Abstract:
The collection consists of 7 works of
art by Peter Evershed (British, 1925-2020) that are primarily portraits of 20th
century literary figures.
Call Number:
Art Collection AR-00083
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Please note that a minimum of 24 hours notice is required to pull
art materials to the Ransom Center's Reading and Viewing Room. Some materials
may be
restricted from viewing. To make an appointment or to reserve Art Collection
materials, please contact the Center's staff at art@hrc.utexas.edu. Researchers
must
create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before
using
archival materials.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential
information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and
regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information
pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in the collections without
the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of
action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning
an
individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive
to a
reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at
Austin
assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of
the
copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information
please see the Ransom Center's Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Acquisition:
Purchase and gifts, 1995-2005 (95-04-025-GP, 05-11-020-G)
Peter Evershed was born in Brighton, England, February 5, 1925. He attended Brighton
School of Art briefly before joining the Royal Air Force during World War II.
He
returned to his artistic studies in 1947 and moved to the United States in 1949.
In
New York City, he made the acquaintance and painted portraits of authors and artists
such as Dylan Thomas, Cecil Beaton, and Dorothy Brett, the latter whom he met
at an
exhibition of her work. Through Brett, Evershed met Frieda Lawrence and visited
her
in Taos, New Mexico, and in California, producing portraits of her during those
meetings. Evershed returned to England in the late 1950s and continued to paint
portraits and landscapes. Evershed passed away March 3, 2020, in Milton Keynes,
England.
In addition to the Ransom Center, his work can also be found in collections at the
National
Gallery of Wales and the University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special
Collections.
Sources:
Artworks of Peter Evershed (born 1925), 1950-1991, University of Nottingham
Manuscripts and Special Collections, accessed 18 July 18, 2017,
https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb159-ed.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of portrait drawings by Peter Evershed (British,
born 1925) of Frieda Lawrence, Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, Dorothy Brett, and Mervyn
Levy. The works, in watercolors, charcoals, and ink wash, are signed or stamped
with
a date. A few of the works depict the subject in a specific place or moment in
time,
such as Thomas at the White Horse Tavern, Brett at the American British Art Gallery
in New York, and Mervyn Levy at the Chelsea Arts Club in London. There is a single
illustration observed from a performance by The University of Texas at Austin's
Shakespeare at Winedale Troupe at Stratford on Avon in 2005. All works are titled
by
the artist, with the exception of 95.2.5.
