Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1912 Kyoto, Japan

Died: 1997 Torquay, England

Year of Migration to the UK: 1936

Biography

Painter Aya Broughton was born into an affluent family in Kyoto, Japan, in 1912. In 1936, after marrying Bernard Broughton, an Oxford professor nearly 30 years her senior, she immigrated to England, settling in Torquay, Devon. There, she became an active painter and a much-loved local figure, even during the Second World War, when Japan was viewed as Britain’s enemy. As the local newspaper noted, Broughton later reflected on these times: ‘I would have understood that people could find it difficult, but I never came up against any trouble or problems.’ (Herald Express, 1992, p. 34). Although her husband died in the mid-1960s, she never considered returning to Japan, viewing Torquay as her home. She returned to Japan only twice, after living in England for 50 years and was moved by the kindness of people in both countries, remarking, ‘People are kind everywhere. East and West,’ (Broughton quoted in Tanner, 1988, p. 19). She saw herself not as Japanese or English but simply human, while still valuing culture, history, and tradition and feeling deeply connected to them.

Broughton was largely self-taught, starting to paint at the end of the Second World War as an exercise in patience. Although she initially took up painting as a hobby, she later studied at the Newton Abbot School of Art and at Dartington Adult Centre. By the 1960s, she had become a prominent local figure, with local newspapers noting that her work was so distinctive it no longer needed a signature to be recognised (Bruton, 1964, p. 10). Her oeuvre is diverse, encompassing still lifes and portraits. Her work demonstrates a keen sensitivity to texture, while blending realism with subtle stylisation and employing a palette rich in earthy tones. While some of her pieces are expressive and abstract, others reveal meticulous attention to detail. Figures in her portraits are frequently depicted in contemplative poses, evoking a sense of elegance and introspection. Her 1930 self-portrait, housed at Torre Abbey Historic House and Gardens, captures her in muted tones and textured surfaces, meeting the viewer’s gaze with a quiet yet commanding presence. By contrast, her 1962 mixed-media painting, Spring in Torquay, features flat surfaces and bold, vibrant colours, showing her more expressive side. In works such as the undated watercolour, An Old English Rose, she shifts focus to botanical precision and realism. Broughton’s paintings often reflect a harmonious merging of Japanese aesthetics with European painting traditions. Beyond painting, she pursued gardening, decorating, jewellery-making, embroidery, furnishing, and occasionally created murals.

Broughton was an integral part of the British art scene, joining societies such as the New Society; Free Painters and Sculptors; Devon Art Society (where she served as secretary and judge); the Women’s International Art Club (WIAC); the Society of Women Artists, and the Société des Artistes Français as an Associate. Often signing her works simply as ‘Aya,’ she enjoyed an international reputation and exhibited regularly. In 1948, she held a solo exhibition at the Boots Art Gallery in Torquay. In 1972, her works Orient and Occident were displayed at the Royal Watercolour Society's annual exhibition in London. In 1994, the Torbay Express and South Devon Echo described her as a Japanese artist who ‘adopted Torquay as her home’ and noted her generosity in donating paintings to charitable causes. At the age of 81, she fulfilled her long-held ambition of becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Reflecting on this achievement, she remarked, ‘Until now I have been so busy with helping the wonderful good cause in Torquay. But now, nearing the age of 82, I thought I would like to try and see if I could put myself forward,’ (Broughton quoted in the Torbay Express, 1994, p. 44).

Broughton received several awards during her career: in 1967, she earned an Honourable Mention from the Société des Artistes Français, followed by a silver medal at the Paris Salon in 1972 and a gold medal from the Italian Academy in 1980. Throughout her life, she actively supported local charities, including Brixham’s Cheshire Home and Rowcroft Hospice, often contributing to fundraising events by creating quick but lifelike sketches of attendees. In 1987, she wrote to the Tate Gallery advocating for the acquisition of works by John F. B. Miles, an outsider artist known for his intricate mandalas; the proposal was not accepted. Aya Broughton died in 1997 in Torquay, England. Posthumously, the National Society of Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers established the Aya Broughton Prize, awarded to many immigrant artists, including Johannesburg-born Minne Fry. In the UK public domain, her work is held in the collection of Torre Abbey in Devon.

Related books

No author, ‘Our adopted lady is a Fellow now’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 16 June 1994, p. 44
No author, ‘Taking tea on an artist’s 80th’, Herald Express, 22 October 1992, p. 34
Jasmine Tanner, ‘Sentimental Return to the Orient’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 4 August 1988, p. 19
No author, ‘Backgrounds’, Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 13 January 1972, p. 4
R.F. Bruton, ‘Much to please in art show’, Herald Express, 20 March 1964, p. 10
No author, ‘Line-up for Thrills’, Torquay Times and South Devon Advertiser, 17 August 1962, p. 3

Public collections

Torre Abbey

Related organisations

Dartington Adult Centre (student )
Devon Art Society (member, secretary, judge)
Free Painters and Sculptors (member)
New Society (member)
Newton Abbot School of Art (student )
Royal Society of Arts (Fellow )
Society of Women Artists (member)
Womens International Art Club (member)

Selected exhibitions

Devon Art Society Exhibition (group show), Torre Abbey Mansion, Torquay, Devon (1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1974)
Women’s International Art Club, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey (1972)
Royal Society of Painters in Water Colour (group show), Royal Watercolour Society’s Galleries, London (1963, 1964, 1972)
Royal Institute of Oil Painters, 195 Piccadilly, London (1951, 1971)
Group show, Art Federation Galleries, London (1967)
Paris Salon Summer Exhibition (group show), Grand Palace, Paris (from 1949 to 1959 in succession,1963, 1966)
National Society of Art Annual Exhibition (group show), Royal Institute Galleries, London (1957, 1964, 1965)
Flower Paintings (group show), Royal Watercolour Society’s Galleries, London (1960)
Flower Paintings (group show), Royal Water Colours Society’s Galleries, London (1960)
Aya Broughton (solo exhibition) Boots Art Gallery, Torquay (1948)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Aya Broughton]