Biography for Bernard Cheese RCA R.E. (1925 - 2013)

Overview

As one of the notable Great Bardfield artists, Cheese played an important role in the mid‑20th‑century revival of British printmaking. His distinctive style — combining refined draughtsmanship with a warm, human touch — made him a favourite among collectors, museums, and design enthusiasts alike.

Inspiration

Cheese’s prints often explore domestic scenes, coastal life, visits to Provence, food, and the natural world, all rendered with a lightness of spirit and a deep appreciation for the simple pleasures around him. His ability to observe the world with both precision and playfulness remains central to his enduring appeal.Artists in the 1950s. 

Early Career

Born Sydenham in 1925 and trained at the Beckenham School of Art. He joinged the army for four years before going on to study at the Royal College of Art from 1947-50 under  Edward Bawden, John Nash and Edwin La Dell. He went on to teach printmaking at St Martin's School of Art from 1950 to 1968, then at Goldsmiths College from 1970–78, and Central School of Art and Design.

He taught printmaking at St Martin's School of Art from 1950 to 1968, then at Goldsmiths College from 1970–78, and Central School of Art and Design 1980–89.

He designed posters for London Transport, with several commissions from 1951. He also did commissions for Guinness, the BBC and P&O Cruises.

Invited by Edward Bawden to work on a mural for the Festival of Britain in the 1950s he moved to the artists' community of Great Bardfield in Essex, which was also home to Bawden.

Select Exhibitions

He exhibited in Beijing, 1956, Stockholm 1960, Washington DC, 1962 and New York in 1968. Other shows include "Bon Appétit!: lithographs and watercolours by Bernard Cheese" at Aberystwyth University in 2002. He also exhibited several times with Hayletts Gallery.

Collections

He became a fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in 1988.A Fisherman's Story (1956) is owned by Tate in London.

Other works are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Royal Collection, the New York Museum of Modern Art, New York Public Library, and Aberystwyth University, which holds more than 100 of his works.

In 1951 he married Sheila Robinson, an artist from Nottinghamshire. They divorced in 1968 and he married Brenda Latham Brown, a former student. His daughters Chloe Cheese, with Sheila, Joanna Cheese and Sarah Cheese are also artists.