early life and education
charles fairfax murray, a renowned english painter, dealer, collector, benefactor, and art historian, was born in 1849 in bow, near london. he grew up in sudbury, suffolk, where he studied drawing, possibly under thomas gainsborough's great nephew, gainsborough dupont.artistic career
at the age of 12, murray was employed in the drawing office of the railway entrepreneurs peto & betts and was taken into sir samuel morton peto's home to draw portraits of his family. he was later introduced to john ruskin at the age of 16 and installed as edward burne-jones's first studio assistant in 1867. murray rapidly became one of the circle of pre-raphaelite founder dante gabriel rossetti, and a friend of william morris and philip webb.notable works and associations
- mandolin player (24 x 24 cm, oil on panel), a painting by murray, showcases his skill as an artist. (view on WikiOO)
- his association with the pre-raphaelites led to contributions to giovanni cavalcaselle's history of north italian painting.
- murray also partnered with dr wilhelm von bode, director of berlin's gemaldegalerie, and london dealers thomas agnew.
legacy and philanthropy
murray's aim was always to put his works into public collections. in 1904, he sold his collection of over eight hundred pre-raphaelite drawings to the birmingham museum and art gallery. he also gifted several notable paintings, including titian's tarquin and lucretia, to the fitzwilliam museum in cambridge. notable donations:- the kings' daughters (26 x 37 cm, oil on panel), a painting by murray, is now part of a museum collection. (view on WikiOO)
- more than a dozen constables and four early gainsboroughs were donated to the fitzwilliam museum.
- a collection of 46 english portraits was given to the dulwich picture gallery.
later life and death
charles fairfax murray died in london in january 1919, following a series of strokes, leaving behind a legacy as a connoisseur and benefactor of the art world. view charles fairfax murray's profile on WikiOO oxford's history on wikipediaQuestions & Answers
Where can I see Charles Fairfax Murray's artworks arranged by atmosphere?
Charles Fairfax Murray's works can be browsed by mood on the artist's Mood Room page, which arranges the artworks by their recorded moods.
How did Charles Fairfax Murray's art evolve over time?
Charles Fairfax Murray's career unfolds period by period on the artist's Chronicle page: a horizontal timeline of the artworks, grouped into career-period chapters.
How do I find works by Charles Fairfax Murray in a specific palette?
Charles Fairfax Murray's works can be browsed by color palette on the artist's By Palettes page.
