Rory McEwen (artist)

Rory McEwen the artist and musician, was born in Scotland on March 12, 1932, fourth child of Sir John Helias Finnie McEwen, and Bridget Mary daughter of Sir Francis Oswald Lindley and Granddaughter of John Lindley botanist and illustrator, who in 1840 was instrumental in saving The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew from destruction.

Early Life and Education

Rory was educated at home (Marchmont House) by a French governess called Mademoiselle Philippe, and at Eton where he was taught by Wilfred Blunt who described him as “Perhaps the most gifted artist to pass through my hands…” After his National Service in The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, he gained an English degree at Trinity College Cambridge, where he became friends with Karl Miller, Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke, Jonathan Miller and Mark Boxer among others. He wrote and performed in "Between the Lines" the 1955 Cambridge Footlights Revue production at the Scala Theatre in London.

In 1956, he set sail with his younger brother Alexander, on the Cunarder ‘Ascania’ to New York in search of Huddie William Leadbetter’s widow, Martha. When they found her she was so impressed by their understanding of, and skill at playing her late husband’s music, that she allowed Rory to play Leadbelly's very own custom made 12 string Stella guitar, inspiring him to set off to find his own. The brothers played their way across America, cutting ‘Scottish Songs and Ballads’ for Smithsonian Folkways Records, and appearing on the coast to coast Ed Sullivan Show on CBS, twice, before returning home to Britain.

By 1957 Rory had become one of the leading lights in the post-war folksong revival, and was a regular on the daily BBC Tonight show presented by Cliff Michelmore, writing and performing topical calypsos, whilst also working as the art editor for the Spectator Magazine.

On April 15, 1958 Rory married Romana von Hofmannsthal, daughter of Raimond von Hofmannsthal, who was the son of Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss’s librettist and founder of the Salzburg Festival, and Alice Astor daughter of the American socialite Ava Lowle Willing, Lady Ribblesdale, and John Jacob Astor IV the multi-millionaire investor, inventor and writer, who drowned on the Titanic.

In the early 1960s Rory and Alex hosted their own live shows to sell-out audiences at three successive Edinburgh Festivals; George Melly, the Clancy Brothers, Dave Swarbrick (later of Fairport Convention), Bob Davenport and the Americans Dick Farina and Carolyn Hester among their guests.

Between 1959 and 1963 Rory presented and performed on the seminal folk and blues music programme Hullabaloo for commercial ATV television, with guests including

• The Spinners
• Martin Carthy
• Fitzroy Coleman
• Cyril Davies and the Rhythm and Blues Allstars
• Long John Baldry
• Sonny Boy Williamson
• The Ian Cambell Group
• The Duo Ofarim
• Alex McEwen
• Sidney Carter
• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
• Carolyn Hester
• Manhattan Brothers
• Peter Paul and Mary
• Rambling Jack Elliott

Younger artists such as Billie Connolly, Van Morrison and Eric Burdon of the Animals are just some of those who admit to the influence Rory and Alex had on their formative years. Rory, inspired by Leadbelly, was probably the first person to play 12-string acoustic guitar on TV in Britain. From 1964 he decided to devote himself entirely to his career in visual art, his floral interest also finding expression in colour-refracting perspex sculpture and large abstract works in glass and steel. In painting he forged his own interpretation of international minimalism, creating works of exquisite beauty in water colour on velum, of flowers, leaves and vegetables.

Among his closest artist friends were Jim Dine, Robert Graham, Kenneth Armitage, Brice Marden, Cy Twombly, Derek Boshier and David Novros. Among close poet friends were the Portuguese Alberto de Lacerda and the Americans Kenneth Koch and Ron Padget. It was typical of Rory McEwen's Scottish internationalism and versatility, as an off-shoot of his admiration for Indian music, George Harrison took sitar lessons from Ravi Shankar in his house, and that he explored Bhutan in the last days before tourism.

Rory McEwen died on October 16, 1982 aged 50.

His work is in the British Museum, V&A, Tate, National Gallery of Modern Art Scotland, Hunt Institute, Pittsburgh and MOMA, New York, among other collections.

Books

Tulips and Tulipomania, with Wilfred Blunt. Old Carnations and Pinks with Oscar C. Moreton (and an introduction by Sacheverell Sitwell). The Auricula, It’s History and Character with Oscar C.Moreton. From the Air with Kenneth Koch. Due 2013 Rory McEwen, The Colours of Reality by James Fox and others.

Exhibitions

• 1962 Durlacher Bros., New York
• 1964 Andre Weill Gallery, Paris

The Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh National Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Gateway Theatre, Edinburgh

• 1965 Durlacher Bros., New York
• 1966 Douglas and Foulis, Edinburgh
• 1967 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh

Byron Gallery, New York

• 1968 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh

Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf

• 1969 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
• 1970 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
• 1971 Scottish Arts Council
• 1972 Redfern Gallery, London

Sonnabend Gallery, New York

• 1974 Redfern Gallery, London

Tooth’s Gallery, London

• 1975 Oxford Gallery, Oxford
• 1976 Redfern Gallery, London
• 1977 Oxford Gallery, Oxford
• 1978 ICA, London
• 1979 Taranman Gallery, London
• 1980 Nihonbash Gallery, Tokyo
• 1981 Redfern Gallery, London

Fischer Fine Art. London

• 1982 Steampfli Gallery, New York

Wave Hill, New York

• 1983 Hunt Institute, Pittsburgh
• 1984 Museum of Modern Art, New York
• 1988 Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh, and the Serpentine Gallery, London

Records

Rory and Alex McEwen Scottish Songs and Ballads Smythsonian Folkways Records 1957

Rory and Alex McEwen and Isla Cameron Folksong Jubilee His Masters Voice 1958

Rory and Alex McEwen, and Carolyne and Dick Farina: Four For Fun Waverly Records 1963

Jim Dine and Rory McEwen Songs, poems and prints Museum of Modern Art, New York 1969