Artist     David Bethel
Title      Monument to a Warrior
Date      no information (possibly 1960s)
object    Print
Media    Linocut
Size       45 x 33.1 cm
Ref          288

Purchased in RWA exhibition in 1963

Other websites featuring this artist's work
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Monument to a Warrior
Primarily a designer, David Bethel used wood engraving, gouache, lithography, lino-cuts and oil in his art and design practice. His work is represented in Stafford City Art Gallery, Leicester City Art Gallery and the Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry who all have his work in their public collections. He is also represented in numerous private collections. He showed his work continuously at the RWA since becoming a member in 1975. Iconic, colourful and expertly crafted, ‘Monument to a warrior’ is typical of his mature engravings.

Commenting in 2000 on the influences upon his work Bethel said,

'I am primarily a typographer, bookdesigner and illustrator having learnt the skills required at the then West of England College of Art, Bristol. My main output is autographic prints. The influences on my work stems largely from literature and the English language'

Born in December 1923, David Bethel served on the council of the RWA between 1994-1997. In 1997 he was elected Senior Executive Vice-President. He died in December 2005.

His academic career lead him to become Director of Leicester Polytechnic between 1973-1987 but also paved the way for his vital engagement with numerous educational bodies and committees. The most significant of these included his1978-80 Chairmanship of the Committee of Directors of Polytechnics and the Chairmanship on the Advisory Panel to the Minister of State (DES) between 1980-1981 on listing the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

In 1986 he was appointed Chairman of the Planning Committee for Hong Kong Academic Awards and in 1987 he became Chairman of the Chartered Society of Designers' Education and Training Committee. Some of the key awards he has received include admittance to the Freemanship of the City of London in 1976 and his1983 CBE. In 1999 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Education from the University of the West of England.

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