Edward Le Bas (1904-1966)

Edward Le Bas (1904-1946)

Dieppe, oil on board c.1940’s

Signed.

Provenance: The artists family by descent.

Edward Le Bas was a British painter in the French tradition, influenced by the early impressionists.

Le Bas was born in London to a wealthy family, he was educated at Harrow and went on to study architecture at Cambridge. After a brief period in Paris, Le Bas went on to study painting at the Royal college of Art under William Rothenstein.

His privileged position gave him the opportunity to amass an extensive collection of art notably the Campden Town Group, Eduard Vuillard and Duncan Grant. There was an exhibition of his collection in London in 1963.

As an artist Le Bas travelled extensively and painted in France, Mallorca and Morocco.

He held his first exhibition was with the Lefevre Gallery in 1936. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1933 and was elected a member in 1949.

He was honoured with a CBE in 1957.

Le Bas was great friends with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant they took several painting trips to Europe including one to Dieppe in the autumn of 1946.

Le Bas is represented in the Tate Gallery, Arts Council Collection and public collections worldwide.