Arthur Devis (1712-1787)

Arthur Devis (19 February 1712, Preston – 25 July 1787, Brighton) was an English portrait painter, particularly known for his conversation pieces and other such small portraits.

Lancashire-born, he spent most of his working life in London (and, from 1783, Brighton), and - despite being little regarded in his lifetime - became popular in the 1930s due to the delicacy of his style and the historical value of his works as records of 18th century England's middle classes and regional gentry. He exhibited at the Free Society of Artists between 1762 and 1780 and restored Sir James Thornhill's paintings in the hall at Greenwich.

His half-brother Anthony Devis was a landscape painter. On 20 July 1742 Arthur married Elizabeth Faulkner (1723–1788) at St Katharine's by the Tower‎ in London. Of their six surviving children (out of a total of twenty-two born) - Ellin Devis (1746–1820) became an author and the headmistress of a girls' school and Thomas Anthony Devis (1757–1810) and Arthur William Devis (1762–1822) both became painters.

External links

* [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7570?docPos=1 Dictionary of National Biography entry] for Arthur Devis
* [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/devis_arthur.html Arthur Devis at Artcycolopaedia]
* [http://wwar.com/masters/d/devis-arthur.html Arthur Devis at World Wide Art Resources]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2799&page=1 Works by Arthur Devis at] Tate Britain
* [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/18c/devis.asp Devis's "Mr and Mrs Atherton" (c1743)] , at the Walker Art Gallery
* [http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/european/em_ipa00178.html Devis's "The Clavey family in their garden at Hampstead" (1754)] , at the National Gallery of Victoria