Albert Wainright, British 1898-1943
Seated Young Man on a Chair, 1929

£3,950

Watercolour, pen and ink on paper
Signed (lower right), dated and inscribed ‘George’ (verso)
42cm x 32cm (35cm x 25cm framed)

Albert Wainwright was an English artist, illustrator, and theatre designer known for his versatile, decorative style influenced by Aubrey Beardsley and the Viennese Secession. Born in Castleford, West Yorkshire, Wainwright attended Castleford Grammar School alongside his close friend, the future sculptor Henry Moore. Encouraged by their progressive art teacher Alice Gostick, both pursued higher studies at the Leeds School of Art in 1914. During World War I, Wainwright briefly served in the Royal Flying Corps while maintaining a vibrant, illustrated correspondence with Moore. In 1920, at just 22 years old, he launched a successful solo exhibition at the Leeds City Art Gallery, followed by showings in London at the Goupil Gallery.

Living as a gay man at a time when homosexuality was criminalized in the UK, Wainwright recorded intimate personal observations, male figure studies, and portraits in his private sketchbooks. Today, these sketchbooks are recognized as valuable historic records of early 20th-century LGBTQ+ social history. Wainwright died unexpectedly of meningitis in 1943 at the age of 45. His work is held in regional institutions, including The Hepworth Wakefield and Leeds Art Gallery.