Born: 1879 Christchurch, New Zealand
Died: 1933 London, England
Year of Migration to the UK: 1909
Other name/s: Raymond Francis McIntyre, Raymond F. McIntyre
Biography
Artist Raymond McIntyre was born on 5 February 1879 in Christchurch, New Zealand, to a Canadian-born father and a Tasmanian mother. The McIntyre family was renowned for their artistic and musical talents. McIntyre’s formal education ended when he was 15, when he began art evening classes at Canterbury College School of Art, where he was taught by Alfred Walsh, a respected landscape painter, and Robert Herdman-Smith, an expert in still-life and figure drawing. Despite intermittent breaks in his studies, McIntyre continued to develop his skills until 1908. During this time, he also taught still-life and figure drawing to junior classes and won several accolades, including a silver medal for a colour study of a head painted from life in 1900. In the early 1900s, McIntyre was part of a progressive sketch club formed by local painters. From around 1906 to 1908, McIntyre shared a studio in Cathedral Square with Leonard Booth, who described him as an enthusiastic disciple of Whistler and a talented cellist (Te Ara encyclopedia). McIntyre’s early works were influenced by English Impressionism and the techniques he observed at the New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch in 1906–07. However, local critics were often unimpressed, labelling him a 'decorator' and scorning his Impressionist tendencies.
The lack of critical success in New Zealand led McIntyre to pursue his artistic career in England. Arriving in London in February 1909, he embarked on an intensive period of study and painting. He received guidance from notable artists such as William Nicholson, George Lambert, and Walter Sickert at the Westminster Technical Institute. McIntyre, however, found Sickert's methods too restrictive and was more drawn to the works of Nicholson and Wilson Steer, with a preference for Pre-Raphaelite painting. In London, McIntyre quickly integrated into the bohemian lifestyle and became active in artistic, literary, musical, and theatrical circles. He rented a studio on Cheyne Walk, in Chelsea, notably close to Whistler’s studio, and frequently exhibited his work, particularly at the Goupil Gallery Salon, one of London’s leading international galleries. His art diversified to include cityscapes and park scenes (as favoured by the Camden Town Group), and he continued to exhibit his works, including with the newly-founded London Group from 1916–18, New English Art Club (NEAC) and at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1924. In 1919, he contributed a portrait of Miss Eve Balfour to the National Exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery, which was reproduced in Picturegoer (8 February 1919, p. 161).
During this period, McIntyre created a notable self-portrait, wearing a hat at a jaunty angle and a spotted bow tie, and exuding a casual confidence (1915, Museum of New Zealand). The background, featuring paintings on the wall, suggests it was set in his Cheyne Walk studio or perhaps at an exhibition in a fashionable London gallery. Inscribed with 'To my friend Edward August 1915,' the portrait likely references the renowned American graphic designer Edward McKnight Kauffer, whom McIntyre also painted (Museum of New Zealand catalogue entry). This work highlights McIntyre's integration into the London art world and his mature style at the height of his career. McIntyre's paintings from this period show a range of influences, including Art Nouveau, the work of Modigliani, Matisse and Cezanne, and Japanese woodblock prints. He was also inspired by early European masters such as Botticelli and Holbein, whose aloofness in their work he much admired. His muse, Sylvia Constance Cavendish, a dancer and actor, became the principal subject of many portraits. McIntyre described her as having a very refined and interesting face, which helped him produce some of his best works (Hall 2015). Apart from painting, McIntyre was a writer, printmaker, photographer, and art critic. In 1923, he began contributing art reviews to the Architectural Review, praising contemporary artists such as Ben Nicholson, Ferdinand Hodler, Erich Heckel, and Paul Signac, continuing writing for this prominent periodical until 1931.
McIntyre remained active after the First World War, holding several exhibitions, including at the Eldar Gallery in October 1918. ORD, reviewing the show for the Westminster Gazette, commended McIntyre's ability to convey simplicity and sensitivity to movement, while critiquing his works as sometimes sketchy and impatient, with greater realisation seen in pieces such as The Houses Opposite and An Edinburgh Street. As a member of the Monarro Group, he exhibited alongside French artists such as Paul Signac, Lucien Pissarro, and Lemaitre at the Goupil Gallery in 1921. Despite his growing reputation, McIntyre did not receive significant financial rewards, often living in modest conditions and relying on support from his family. Throughout his career, McIntyre remained uncomplaining and philosophical about his circumstances, adhering to strong Christian Science beliefs. His faith ultimately led to his untimely death in hospital in London, England on 24 September 1933, from a strangulated hernia, as he refused surgery that could have saved his life. Raymond McIntyre’s work is not currently represented in UK public collections.
Related books
- Raymond McIntyre: a New Zealand Painter (Auckland: Heinemann, 1985)
- Marie Annette Coyle, Raymond F. McIntyre, MA thesis, University of Auckland (1981)
- Raymond McIntyre: Works in the National Collection (Wellington: National Art Gallery, 1972)
- Six New Zealand Expatriates: Grace Joel, Rhona Haszard, Frances Hodgkins, Francis McCracken, Raymond McIntyre, Owen Merton (Auckland City Art, 1962)
- ‘Drawings by Mr. Raymond McIntyre’, Westminster Gazette, 18 October 1918, p. 2
- Raymond McIntyre: a Catalogue of Paintings and Water Colour Drawings (London: Eldar Gallery, 1918)
Related organisations
- Canterbury School of Art (student)
- New English Art Club (exhibitor)
- The London Group (member)
- Westminster Technical Institute (student)
- Monarro Group (member)
Related web links
- Catalogue of Raymond McIntyre exhibition at the Auckland City Art Gallery
- Ferner Galleries
- Michael Dunn, The Other Expatriate, Art New Zealand
- ‘McIntyre, Raymond Francis’, Te Ara Encyclopedia
- M N Day, ‘Raymond Francis McIntyre 1879-1933’, Art New Zealand
- Monarro Group
- Rex Butler, Cities Within Cities: Australian and New Zealand Art in the 20th Century, The Journal of Art Historiography, No. 4, June 2011
- Self portrait in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Selected exhibitions
- Royal Academy of Arts, London (1924)
- National Exhibition, Grosvenor Gallery, London (1919)
- Solo exhibition, Eldar Gallery, London (1918)
- Group exhibition, Baillie Gallery (1918, 1914)
- The London Group (1918, 1917, 1916)
- Goupil Gallery, London (1912)
- New English Art Club, London (1911)
