Born in Sydenham in 1925, Bernard Cheese trained at the Beckenham School of Art and, after four years in the army, attended the Royal College of Art from 1947-50. It was here that he studied under Edward Bawden, John Nash and Edwin La Dell. La Dell fired Bernard’s enthusiasm for lithography and encouraged him to go out observe and record life in the markets, parks and public houses of London. This method is still very evident in his work today. From 1950-68, Bernard Cheese taught printmaking at St Martin’s School of Art, was Senior Lecturer at Goldsmith’s College, London 1970-78 and taught part-time at Central School of Art and Crafts 1980-89. It was Edward Bawden who introduced Bernard Cheese to the area of Great Bardfield, a community rich in artists, whose friendship and support contributed to open-house exhibitions being staged in the village.

Bernard has been interested in rural France since his student days, influenced by classic French cinema. “..when added to the brilliance of the paintings by Bonnard, Dufy, Cezanne. It gave me an irresistible desire to visit the source and explore the landscape.”

An astute commentator on human behaviour and social interaction of everyday life, Bernard’s work is of the quietly observed and as a result is often whimsical and at times ironic.

COLLECTIONS INCLUDE:

Her Majesty The Queen, Contemporary Art Society, New York Public Library, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Boston Fine Art Museum, Oxford Education Committee, Tower Art Gallery, British Rail, Trusthouse Forte.

1947-50 Royal College of Art

1950-68 Taught printmaking at St Martin’s School of Art

1953 Moved to Great Bardfield, near Thaxted

1953 Commissioned by La Dell to contribute to ‘Coronation Lithographs’, a portfolio of 40 prints by staff and former students of the RCA for an exhibition at the Redfern Gallery

1956 Exhibited in Beijing

1960 Exhibited in Stockholm

1962 Exhibited in Washington DC

1968 Exhibited in New York

1970-78 Senior Lecturer at Goldsmith’s College, London

1980-89 Taught part-time at Central School of Art

1988 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers