History of the Sir Alfred East Art Gallery

Thomas Cooper Gotch (1854 - 1931)

Thomas Cooper Gotch was a painter of portraits, landscape and allegorical and realistic genre.

He studied at Heatherley's School, the Ecole des Beaux Arts (Antwerp), the Slade School, and in Paris under JP Laurens. After Gotch left Kettering, he lived first in London, then settled in 1887 at Newlyn, Cornwall, where he belonged to the Newlyn School of plein air painters. It was here that he founded the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists in 1887 and became its President between 1913 to 1928.

His earlier work was more naturalistic in the style of the Newlyn School. After his visit to Italy in 1891, he turned to more significant and allegorical subjects, and a more decorative treatment (as seen in Alleluia). Manuscripts relating to Gotch are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The Alfred East Gallery in Kettering, England has a large collection of paintings by Gotch in its permanent collection, including Death the Bride. A 32-page booklet on Gotch can be obtained from the gallery.

Last updated 03 May 2023