quick facts

QUICK FACTS

1904, Clifford Hall was born on 24th January in Wandsworth, South London.
His father, Clifford Henry Hall, was a newspaper manager.
His mother, Isobel (aka Isabella) née Beatty was of Irish descent.
c. 1904-05 Clifford's family moved shortly after he was born and he grew up in Richmond, living first in East Sheen Avenue and then in Mount Ararat Road.
c.1915 - 21, Clifford attended King’s College School, Wimbledon.
c. 1921 -25, Clifford studied Drawing in evening classes at Richmond School of Art, under Charles Wheeler, and then full-time at Putney School of Art studying Design, Life-drawing and Painting under the tuition of Toddy Swain, John Bowyer, George Morrow and Stanley Anderson; also modelling with Charles Doman.
1925, Clifford went on his first (brief) visit to Paris.
1925 - 1928, Clifford studied Painting and Drawing at The Royal Academy Schools under the tuition of Charles Sims, Walter Sickert, Sir George Clausen,Sir Walter Westley Russell and Ernest Jackson. NB Clifford Hall was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools on 19th February 1925; clearly sources which state he attended the Academy from 1926 to 1927 are incorrect.
1927, while attending the Royal Academy, Clifford Hall was awarded a two year Landseer Scholarship for Painting. (ref:: letter of recommendation written by Sir Walter Westley Russell RA (1867 - 1949), Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools).
Of all his teachers, Sickert had the greatest influence on his work and technique.
1927, while still attending the RA Schools he rented his first studio at 6 Rivendale Road, Twickenham Park and he had a number of portrait commissions at this time.
1927, Funds from the Landseer Scholarship and money earned from portrait commissions gave Clifford sufficient money to embark on his second and much longer trip to Paris in 1928.
1928 - 29, Clifford shared a studio for about a year in the rue Leplanquais, Malakoff suburb of Paris with Edwin John, the fourth son of Augustus John and Ida Nettleship.
1928 - 29, Clifford and Edwin spent time drawing at the Cours Libre at the Grande Chaumière.
1928, Clifford spent a short time studying under André Lhote at Lhote's studio near the Gare Montparnasse.
1928 - 29, Edwin John introduced Clifford to a number of people in Paris: including Edwin's father Augustus and his aunt Gwen John as well as the Manchester born artist Rowley Smart with whom Clifford struck-up a long-lasting friendship.
c.1929, Back in England Clifford briefly lived at 7 Montague Road, Richmond, Surrey
1929, Clifford's first One-Man Show held at The St Martin's Gallery, 33 St Martins Court, Charring Cross Road, London WC2 March 1st - 31st. For a full list of Clifford Hall exhibitions please see the Exhibitions page on this website.
1929-30, Clifford returned to France. Spent time painting in Paris and then Moret-sur-Loing in the company of Rowley Smart.
c.1930, Clifford had a studio at 2 King's House Studios, Kings Road Chelsea, London SW
1932, 'How To Paint Portraits' by Clifford Hall, published by John Lane The Bodley Head Limited.
1932-33, Clifford rented a studio at 32a Vereker Road, West Kensington, London W14, where he lived with Marion.
1933, Clifford married his first wife, Marion née Zass, at Fulham Registry Office on April 25th. Marion's parents, Lewis and Esther, were Jewish refugees from Russia who had come to Britain in the 1880s and subsequently ran a tailoring business in the East End of London. Marion was a magazine illustrator who worked mostly for women's and children's publications. She also wrote short stories and rhymes for children. She is known to have used several aliases for this work. Marion was born on March 1st, 1903, in the Stepney/Mile End area of East London; she had three sisters and two brothers.
c.1933-c.37, rented a studio at 4 Trafalgar Studios, Manresa Road, Chelsea, London SW3
1934-36, from January 1934 to January 1936, Clifford Hall was an Art Master at Barking Abbey School, Essex Which was England's first co-educational grammar school when it opened in 1922.
c.1936, lived with Marion at 322A King's Road, Chelsea, London SW3
1937, 'Clowning Through' by Frank Foster in collaboration with Willan G. Bosworth, featuring 19 drawings by Clifford Hall and a foreword by Lady Eleanor Smith was published by Heath Crane Limited, 6 Fleet Lane, London EC4
c.1937 - 52, Clifford lived and worked at 8 Trafalgar Studios, Manresa Road, Chelsea, London SW3
1939, Marion gave birth to their son Julian, in Chichester, on September 2nd.
1939, Clifford volunteered for military service but was declined in January, 1940 on the grounds of his age and lack of previous military experience.
1940, Clifford joined ARP Stretcher Party based at Lots Road, Chelsea on July 5th.
1946, 'Constantin Guys with an Introduction by Clifford Hall' was published for the Shenval Press by Faber & Faber Ltd. One of the Ariel Books On The Arts series for whom Lillian Browse was the general editor.
1950, Clifford and Marion divorced following many years of marital problems and a lengthy separation. Divorce Absolute made in the High Court of Justice on April 17th 1950.
1952-61, Clifford lived and worked at 9 Chelsea Manor Studios, Flood Street, Chelsea, London SW3. (This studio had previously been occupied by Marion for several years.)
1952, Clifford Hall elected to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters on 1st October 1952
1956, Clifford married his second wife, Ann, née Hewson, at Kensington and Chelsea Registry Office on 28th March.
1957, Ann gave birth to their son, Geraint Richard, in London on March 11th.
1961–1973, lived at 24 Newton Road, Bayswater, London W2, where he worked in a detached studio situated in the back garden.
1973, Clifford Hall died at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London W2, on 25th December following a stroke at his home earlier the same day.
NB Except for his very early work Clifford always signed his pictures with the name 'Clifford Hall': earlier works are sometimes signed 'C.Hall'. Despite this fact, and the fact that he always exhibited as Clifford Hall and was known professionally as Clifford Hall, there are a number of websites on the Net which seem to think that it is historically useful to list his work as by 'Clifford Eric Martin Hall', apparently in the mistaken belief that this was his full legal name (and this is somehow relevant?). However, he was in fact christened Eric Clifford Martin Hall. That's right, his first name was actually Eric. Not that anyone who knew him, his family, friends, customers etc., called him anything but Clifford or Cliff, you understand.

More facts and details about Clifford Hall's life will be listed presently.