| Activity | Gerald Cooper was born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire in 1898. He served in the Observer Corps and Royal Flying Corps as a pilot during World War I and attended West Bromwich Art School after the war. In 1920, he began studying at the Royal College of Art and graduated in 1923 in a year that included Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.
In 1925, he began teaching full-time at the Wimbledon School of Art before becoming Principal in 1930 a position that he would hold until 1964. During his tenure, he oversaw the school’s move to Merton Hall Road in 1940 where it remains to this day and the creation of its theatre department becoming the first and, for many years, only British art school to offer a diploma in theatre design.
Cooper had a great interest in art education and was a member of the Bray and National Committees on Art Education and was also an examiner for the Ministry of Education. In addition to his role in art education, he regularly exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy for over 30 years and was particularly renowned for his paintings of flowers in the style of the Dutch Old Masters. He also exhibited at the New English Art Club, London and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
After retiring from the school, he continued painting and remained an examiner for the Department of Education and Science. Cooper was married to the artist Muriel Minter, and they had a daughter, Jennifer. A family show was held by the John Denham Gallery, London in 1984. Cooper died in 1975. |