Arthur Edward Davies

DAVIES, Arthur Edward
1893 – 1988

Arthur Edward Davies was born at Pontrhydygroes, Ystrad Meurig in rural Wales on 30 July 1893 and was an only child. He was educated at Carmarthen and Tredegar and studied at Dublin Metropolitan School of Art just as the First World War started. Enlisting in 1917, Arthur Davies first glimpsed East Anglia on gaining a clerical posting to Cambridge. On a visit to Norwich in 1918, he found studies for his pencils and paints and Norfolk became his permanent home from 1923. Arthur Davies scanned most untouched corners of Norfolk and Suffolk, producing a picture of an ancient landscape before they were demolished, and apart from painting his beloved East Anglia, working trips to London and many main cities were undertaken. France was also a source of inspiration, as well as frequently returning to Wales and painting the Cardiganshire countryside of his childhood. Arthur was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1939 and an RCA by the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art in 1942 and exhibited at the Royal Academy for over 30 years. He also exhibited at the Ipswich Art Club in 1933. He also illustrated two children’s books. Arthur Edward Davies died at 33 Earlham Road, Norwich on 18 April 1988.