Exhibitions and Societies

Maurice de Sausmarez and Leeds

An exploration of the artist, writer and art educator Maurice de Sausmarez's time in Leeds, including his tenure as Lecturer and Head of the Department of Fine Art at the University of Leeds.

The Birth of the University's Department of Fine Art

Maurice de Sausmarez's relationship with the city of Leeds.

Gregory Fellowships

The Gregory Fellowships in the Creative Arts were established in 1949 and ran until 1980.

The University Art Collection

Maurice de Sausmarez's support for the Gregory Fellows continued in his involvement with and recommendations to the University's Art Collection.

Makerere College School of Art

In July 1952, while working as Lecturer and Head of Fine Art, de Sausmarez visited the Makerere College School of Art in Uganda. He visited the college, at the request of the Inter-University Council for Higher Education in the Colonies, to advise on the development of the school and a new Diploma course.

Lectures and Extramural Teaching

Alongside of his work at the University, de Sausmarez also lectured and taught extensively throughout the region. He organised and chaired several lecture series both for students and the public, giving many of the lectures himself and helping to broaden interest in the study of art.

Broadcasting

Throughout his career, Maurice de Sausmarez gave talks and lectures on art history and the discussion around art education reform through various radio and TV broadcasts.

Basic Design

'Basic Design', inspired by Bauhaus education principles, played a vital role in revolutionising art school teaching in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. The two main principles of the movement were a reasoned and objective approach to teaching and the importance of embracing science, technology and the modern world.

Painting

Maurice de Sausmarez completed many paintings and artworks while living and working in Leeds. He was commissioned to paint several portraits including that of Professor of English Literature and co-founder of the University’s Fine Art Department, Bonamy Dobrée, and of Gregory Fellow in Poetry, James Kirkup.

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Alongside his contributions to the development of the University’s Fine Art Department and the work of the Gregory Fellows, Maurice de Sausmarez was also heavily involved in cultural activities on campus.

He was a member of the Union’s Art Society and gave lectures and demonstrations to its members. He also organised regular exhibitions in various buildings and locations on campus as well as music events, lectures and talks. In handwritten notes about the prospective development of the Department of Fine Art he wrote that five small exhibitions had already been organised at the University and that a series of informal talks were given to stimulate interest in the arts. As a result, student membership of the Art Society had increased threefold.

These photographs in the Maurice de Sausmarez Archive show one such exhibition held in Parkinson Court featuring works by Kenneth Armitage, Hubert Dalwood, Reg Butler and possibly Terry Frost. All four artists were Gregory Fellows at the University during the 1950s and 1960s. Their work demonstrates the experimentation and abstraction that many artists at the time were exploring. The artworks shown in the photographs date the exhibition to sometime in the mid to late 1950s.

University Art Collection records also show that Maurice de Sausmarez supported a student-organised exhibition for the Student Christian Movement Mission. The exhibition, also held in the Central Court of the Parkinson Building, included examples of modern Christian art. The exhibition was held in January 1959 and featured works loaned from collections such as Leeds City Art Gallery, Temple Newsam House and the British Council, as well as artist Austin Wright.