Biography
Bob Washington (b. London, UK 1913 - d. Little Baddow, Essex, UK 1997) went to Goldsmiths' College in 1930 to study painting before moving on to the Royal College of Art. After three years in the painting school, he moved to the pottery department which was headed by William Staite Murray (1881-1962), one of the leading studio potters in Britain, who influenced him in his belief in pottery as fine art. He was also taught the practical aspects of pottery and glazing by Dora Billington (1890-1968) at the Central School of Art and Crafts. In 1939, Robert married Marjorie Terry (1910-1996), then a highly successful textile designer, and it was also that year that he went to teach at Derby School of Art. After the war, Washington taught ceramics at Margate School of Art whilst maintaining his own studio. In 1949, he was appointed Her Majesty’s Art Inspector for Essex. He retired from employment in 1979 but became known for his impressive tall, thrown bottle forms with a strong anthropomorphic element and had a solo exhibition at Anatol Orient Gallery in London in 1988.
