By the age of sixty-three he had had three wives, three daughters, had no money and was almost unheard of.’

Adrian Ryan (1920 – 1998) described by Sven Berlin (September 11^th) as ‘the painter’s painter’ and regarded by Francis Bacon as ‘the best-kept secret in the art world’ was born in Hampstead. He was educated at Eton and at the Slade School of Art (1938 – 1940) where his contemporaries included Patrick Heron (March 20^th), Bryan Wynter (September 8^th) and Peggy Rose (January 14^th) who was described by her teachers as the best pupil since Augustus John (January 4^th) and who became his wife.

Ryan first exhibited at the, commercial, Redfern Gallery (1943) and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy.  In 1945, Ryan, his wife and two daughters moved to Cornwall, choosing Mousehole as he was irritated by the ‘constant bickering of the St. Ives School’.  He split his time between Cornwall and teaching at Goldsmiths College, London (1948 – 1983) and at the Cambridge College of Art and Technology, now a constituent part of Anglia Ruskin University (1973 – 1985).

Ryan and his first wife had an open marriage and, even after divorcing, remained on very good terms until his death when Peggy remarked that she had lost her best friend.

His plein air style fell out of favour in the 1950s with the advent of the modernist and abstract styles but his skill, as demonstrated by the painting, below left, Still Life with Apples and Pears is undeniable.  Ryan also engaged in landscape paintings of Mousehole including ‘Mousehole Rooftops’ (below left) and ‘Coombe Valley Factory’ (below right). This appears to be the only painting of a bottle top factory, which manufactured hand-painted for Chanel perfume bottles, for Faberge and covers for the expensive shaving bowls of Taylor of Old Bond Street.  Originally, the factory had originally been used for the manufacture of ‘Sanatogen’ products which had led to the St. Just Butter Protest (February 7^th).

Today Ryan’s works are displayed in numerous galleries including Manchester City Galleries, The Tate, The Government Art Collection and the National Museum of Northern Ireland.