Artist Spotlight: Edward Bawden – Master of the Modern British Linocut

Edward Bawden (1903–1989) is celebrated as one of the most distinctive figures in twentieth-century British art. An artist of wide-ranging talents, Bawden excelled as a commercial designer, illustrator, printmaker and official war artist. He was admired for his practice with linocuts.

Early Life and Education

Born in Braintree, Essex, Bawden grew up immersed in the quiet rhythms of rural life. As an only child, he spent long hours drawing his surroundings, developing the acute observational skills and assured line that would underpin his later work.

Exceptionally gifted, Bawden won a scholarship in 1922 to study illustration at the Royal College of Art, where he studied under Paul Nash. During this formative period he forged a pivotal friendship with Eric Ravilious and encountered contemporaries such as Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. The RCA years instilled in Bawden a disciplined approach to composition, alongside an experimental spirit that would define his mature printmaking.

Bawden and the Linocut: Reinventing the Medium

At a time when linocut was often regarded as a modest or utilitarian technique, Bawden elevated it to a medium of remarkable sophistication. He expanded its expressive potential through intricate cutting, confident linework and carefully balanced compositions.

His linocuts are characterised by flat planes of colour, decorative pattern and architectural clarity, resulting in works that feel both playful and rigorously controlled. These qualities established a distinctly modern visual language that remains instantly recognisable.

Edward Bawden C.B.E. R.A. (British, 1903-1989)
Billingsgate [Greenwood MG.077], Sold for £5,796

Commercial Commissions and Graphic Design

Early in his career, Bawden established himself as a highly sought-after commercial artist. His collaborations with organisations such as London Transport, Twinings and Fortnum & Mason brought his distinctive style to a broad public audience.

His posters for London Transport, in particular, are now regarded as icons of mid-century British graphic design. These commissions demonstrated Bawden’s exceptional ability to merge fine art sensibilities with clarity of communication, a hallmark that would remain central throughout his career.

Travel and Wartime Experience

During the Second World War, Bawden served as an official war artist, travelling extensively across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. These experiences had a lasting impact on his work, introducing new architectural forms, bold geometric structures and a heightened sensitivity to light and place. Many of these influences later reappeared in his post-war prints and illustrations.

Great Bardfield and Later Career

After the war, Bawden became a central figure in the artists’ community at Great Bardfield, Essex. Alongside figures such as Eric Ravilious and Michael Rothenstein, he helped establish the village as a hub of post-war British creativity.

Edward Bawden C.B.E. R.A. (British, 1903-1989)
Aesop's Fables: A Frog and an Ox [Greenwood MG.088] Sold for £1,512

During this period, Bawden produced many of the large-scale, richly detailed linocuts for which he is best known today, works that combine decorative complexity with structural precision.

Edward Bawden C.B.E. R.A. (British, 1903-1989)
Aesop's Fables: The Gnat and the Lion [Greenwood MG.090], Sold for £1,134

Looking to Sell Your Edward Bawden?

Chiswick Auctions would be delighted to assist with the sale of works by Edward Bawden. Whether you are considering parting with a single linocut or an entire collection, our Prints & Multiples specialists offer expert guidance at every stage of the consignment process.

For a complimentary valuation, please contact prints@chiswickauctions.co.uk or submit your work via our Online Valuation Form.