Biography
Elizabeth Spurr (b. UK 1912 - d. London, UK 1987), sculptor, printmaker and painter studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where John Skeaping (1901-1980) taught. She was one, and ‘by far the most talented’, of several private pupils taken by the sculptor, even helping him, as he recalls in his autobiography Drawn from Life, by collecting money when he busked with his accordion. Spurr’s early sculptures had Cubist overtones, stylised in the manner of Skeaping and Barbara Hepworth. Her carving, in wood and stone, which often included animals, is notable for its beautiful finish. Spurr was also a talented printmaker, producing innovative coloured monotypes, etchings and contributing to Everyman Prints, which the AIA produced by offset lithography for popular distribution and her paintings, in oil and gouache, were figurative, including London street and market scenes. Spurr exhibited at the Royal Academy twice and at The Redfern Gallery in 1935. She also had retrospective shows at England & Co, London.
