John Wheatley

John Laviers Wheatley (23 January 1892 – 17 November 1955) was a British painter, art teacher and museum director who also served as a war artist in both World War I and in World War II.

Biography

Wheatley was born in Abergavenny in Wales and was the only son of Sir Zachariah Wheatley, a former mayor of the town. The younger Wheatley attended the Slade School of Art during 1912 and 1913, having previously taken art lessions from both Stanhope Forbes and Walter Sickert. During World War I, Wheatley served in the Artists' Rifles and later in the conflict was an official war artist. The British War Memorials Committee appointed Wheatley to record the work of the Royal Navy in the British home ports. After a short, and miserable, few days at Rosyth Wheatley was sent to Southampton where he recorded the work of the Salvage Service. He produced over 40 paintings there including a large canvas for the proposed, but never built, national Hall of Remembrance. After the War, Wheatley was commissioned to paint a portrait of James Crichton, a recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Wheatley showed three works at the first annual exhibition of the newly formed Society of Graphic Art in 1921. From 1948 to 1950, Wheatley was curator of the National College of British Sports and Pastimes.

Two paintings by John Wheatley were burned by demonstrators during the Rhodes Must Fall upheaval at the University of Cape Town in February 2016: a portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales and one of Alexander Brown.

Memberships Wheatley was a member of, or affiliated with, the following organisations: 1943: Elected associate of the Royal Watercolour Society, 1945: Elected associate of the Royal Academy, 1947: Elected member of the Royal Watercolour Society,