Edward Wolfe

Born 1897 – Died 1982

Edward Wolfe was born in Johannesburg. After settling in London in 1916, he studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic and the Slade School of Art. He was employed by the Omega Workshops in 1918–19, and was at the height of his powers in the 1920s, when he was dubbed “England’s Matisse” for his vibrantly coloured portraits. His fame also owed much to regular exhibitions with the London Group and friendship with Roger Fry and the Sitwell family. After 1945 he exhibited widely in England and South Africa. He died in London.