DIANA ARMFIELD

Browse & Darby have represented the painter Diana Armfield since 1979, and the Cork Street gallery will display her Centenary Exhibition – postponed since 2020 – until July 28. 

Diana Armfield, The Nant Hir in Springtime, oil on board, 22 x 36 cms, courtesy of Browse & Darby

Armfield, now 102 years old, studied textile design at the Central School of Art and the Slade, where she met her life-long husband, the painter Bernard Dunstan, who influenced her to take up painting in the early 60s. They worked side by side (in separate studios in the same house, and on frequent painting trips) for nearly 70 years, until Dunstan’s passing in 2017.

Working in what might be coined the Sickert tradition, Armfield’s work is underpinned by careful observed drawing, displaying a subtle affinity with the rhythms of tone and form. She is best known for her harmonious, enriching still lifes of flowers, but in her long career has also frequently turned her hand to landscapes (particularly of Italian, French and Welsh locations), portraits, and literary subjects.

The show coincides with the publication of Diana Armfield, a Lyrical Eye, by Andrew Lambirth (Paul Holberton Publishing), featuring 200 illustrations, including a number of more recent works.

Browse & Darby, July 7-28