Rupert Shephard

Rupert Norman Shephard (12 February 1909 – 16 March 1992) was an English painter, illustrator and art teacher.

Early life Shephard was born in Islington, the son of an engineer and a charity worker, who were both Quakers and keen amateur artists. He attended Repton School, before studying at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1926 to 1929. After graduating from the Slade, Shephard taught at Raynes Park County School whilst painting at night and often in pubs and music halls. In the spring of 1945, WAAC offered Shephard a full-time contract with the Ministry of War Transport, which he completed with a number of scenes painted in London.

Later life From 1946 to 1948 Shephard taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. In 1942, Shephard had married his first wife, the daughter of a British businessman based in South Africa and in 1948 the couple moved to Cape Town with their children. Shephard spent fifteen years in South Africa as the director of the Michaelis Art School at the University of Cape Town. He had ten solo exhibitions in South Africa and also exhibited internationally. In 1962 his wife died and Shephard and his three children returned to Britain. Shephard continued to paint portraits and exhibition pieces but failing eyesight ended his career in 1990 and two years later he died of cancer in London.

Collections holding works by Rupert Shephard include the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the British Museum. Shephard's painting Portrait of Mrs Marie Lydia Grant was burned by demonstrators during the Rhodes Must Fall protests at the University of Cape Town, UCT, in February 2016. One other painting, Portrait of JP Duminy, was removed from UCT in 2016.