Ceri Richards is acknowledged as Wales’ most important artist of the mid-twentieth century. Born in Dunvant, near Swansea, in 1903, he studied at Swansea School of Art, before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, London. A contemporary of, and frequent co-exhibitor with Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, John Piper and Graham Sutherland, he represented Britain in many international touring exhibitions. In 1962 he was a prizewinner at the Venice Biennale. He is represented in many important museums worldwide, and the Tate Gallery has a collection of over 90 works.

An accomplished pianist, his work often took a musical theme, notably his series based on Debussy’s Preludes, as well as his 'Hammerklavier Suite' and his 'Beethoven Suite with Variations'. In Wales he is, perhaps, best known for his paintings and drawings based on Dylan Thomas’s poetry.

Collections

Tate Gallery, London; National Portrait Gallery, London; Glynn Vivian Museum & Art Gallery, Swansea; National Museum and Gallery of Wales; Leeds Museum and Art Galleries; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Metropolitan Museum, New York; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; Museum of London; Manchester City Art Galleries; Leicester Galleries; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Imperial War Museum, London; Birmingham City Museums and Art Gallery; Pallant House, Chichester; Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery, London; Newport Museum and Art Gallery; University of Wales, Aberystwyth; Arts Council Wales; Contemporary Art Society; Southampton City Art Gallery; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, USA; Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland; UK Government Art Collection; British Council; St Anne's College, Oxford; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Portsmouth City Museum; National Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; National Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Kultusministerium, Stuttgart; Galleria Civica, Turin; Viulla Ciani, Lugano.