Arnrid Johnston facts for kids
Arnrid Banniza Johnston (born 1895, died 1972) was a talented artist. She was a sculptor, which means she made art by carving or shaping materials. She was also an illustrator, meaning she drew pictures for books. Arnrid was from Sweden but lived and worked most of her life in Britain.
Biography
Arnrid was born in Uddevalla, Sweden. Her mother was Swedish, and her father was English. She went to school in London, in a place called Blackheath. After school, she stayed in London. From 1913 to 1920, she studied art at the famous Slade School of Fine Art. She was very good and won many awards there. She even won the Feodora Gleichen prize for sculpture twice! She also got a special scholarship to study for two years. Her teacher for sculpture was James Havard Thomas.
Arnrid worked as a sculptor, carving art from stone, wood, and marble. She created sculptures of animals and people. She also made flat artworks called reliefs and pieces for gardens. One of her first big sculptures was a large, three-sided stone pillar called an obelisk. It was made from Portland stone and showed children and animals. This obelisk is in the courtyard of Walton House in the Pimlico area of London. It took her four years to finish! In 2018, a group called Historic England recognized how important this artwork was. They gave it a Grade II listing, which means it's a special building or structure that needs to be protected.
Arnrid also made other animal-themed artworks. These included reliefs like Cats on a Chimney Cowl, Squirrels, and Resting Horses. She also painted and designed posters. She made several posters in 1930 to encourage people to visit the London Zoo for London Transport.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Arnrid wrote and drew pictures for about twenty children's books. Many of these books were about animals. She also illustrated books by other writers, such as The Little Black Calf by Kathleen Foyle. Arnrid showed her artworks in many galleries. These included the Goupil Gallery, the Chenil Gallery, and the Whitechapel Art Gallery. She also exhibited with art groups like the London Group and the New English Art Club.
In 1930, some of her garden artworks were shown at the Garden Sculpture Exhibition at Selfridges in Oxford Street. Later, in 1985, there was a special exhibition of her work at Sally Hunter & Patrick Seale Fine Art. A tapestry she made, called The Orchestra, was part of that exhibition. It is now kept at Morley College. The London Transport Museum has some of her poster designs.
Books written and/ or illustrated
- Pigwiggen, 1938
- Animal Families, 1939, Country Life
- Fables from Aesop and Others, 1944, Transatlantic Arts
- Animals We Use, 1948, Methuen
- The Little Black Calf by Kathleen Foyle
- Les Fontaine's Fables, an unfinished work.
