Ruth Collet facts for kids

Ruth Isabelle Collet (born Salaman) was a talented British artist. She lived from 1909 to 2001. Ruth was known for her paintings, printmaking, and illustrations.

Early Life and Education

Ruth Collet was born in Barley, a village in Hertfordshire, England. She came from a very gifted family. Her father, Redcliffe N. Salaman, was a well-known botanist who studied plants. Her mother, Nina Ruth Davis, was a scholar who studied the Hebrew language.

Ruth attended Bedales School before continuing her art studies. From 1927 to 1930, she went to the famous Slade School of Art in London. This school helped her develop her painting skills.

Learning Printmaking

After her time at Slade, Ruth traveled to Paris, France. There, between 1932 and 1935, she learned a special art technique called etching. She trained with S W Hayter, a very important artist in printmaking. Etching is a way to create images by carving lines into a metal plate, which is then used to print pictures.

Art Career and Exhibitions

After her training in Paris, Ruth Collet returned to London. She continued to study art with teachers like Marian Kratochwil and Kathleen Browne. For a while, she was part of a group called the East London Group.

Ruth's artwork was shown in many important places. She exhibited her paintings and prints at the Royal Academy, which is a very prestigious art institution. She also showed her work with the New English Art Club, the London Group, and the Women's International Art Club.

Solo Shows and Collections

Ruth Collet's art was displayed in galleries like the Leicester Galleries and at Gainsborough's House in Sudbury. She had her own special art shows, called solo exhibitions. One of these was at the Annexe Gallery in London in 1982. Later, she had other solo shows at the Sue Rankin Gallery in 1987, the Sternberg Centre for Judaism, and the Moss Gallery in 1991.

Her work is also part of important art collections. The Ben Uri Gallery, which focuses on Jewish art, bought several of her pieces in 1987.

Illustrations and Personal Life

Ruth Collet was very skilled in etching and printmaking. She used these talents to create many illustrations. She made pictures for the Westminster Synagogue, a place of worship in central London. She also designed the covers, called dust jackets, for many books.

Ruth was married to Robert Collet, who was a musician and a historian of music. For many years, they lived together in Northwood, a town near London. After she passed away in 2001, a special exhibition of her artwork was held in 2003 at the Broughton House Gallery in Cambridge to remember her.