Great Bardfield Artists

The principal artists who lived there between 1930 and 1970 were John Aldridge RA, Edward Bawden, George Chapman, Stanley Clifford-Smith, Audrey Cruddas, Walter Hoyle, Eric Ravilious, Sheila Robinson, Michael Rothenstein, Kenneth Rowntree and Marianne Straub.

Other artists associated with the group include Duffy Ayers, John Bolam, Bernard Cheese, Tirzah Garwood, Joan Glass, David Low and Laurence Scarfe.

During the 1950s the Great Bardfield Artists organised a series of large 'open house' exhibitions which attracted national and international press attention.

Positive reviews and the novelty of viewing modernist art works in the artists' own homes led to thousands visiting the remote village during the summer exhibitions of 1954, 1955 and 1958.

As well as these large shows the Great Bardfield Artists held exhibitions of their work in Cambridge (1956) and Bristol (1959).