Collection: Leon Underwood   1890 - 1975 

Leon Underwood was a noted British sculptor, painter, draughtsman and engraver as well as a writer and illustrator, scholar, teacher, philosopher and stained glass and furniture craftsman. He attended the Slade School of Art and founded the magazine The Island in 1931.

Underwood is best known for his sculptures cast in bronze, carvings in marble, stone and wood and his drawings. His work was influenced by African and Cycladic designs.

His lifetime's work however includes a wide range of mediums and activities, and an expressive and technical mastery in what was at the time a ground breaking approach. His paintings included portraits and Mexican landscapes resulting from his youthful travels there. He was a friend of Ralph Chubb with whom he sometimes collaborated and exhibited.