Alice Des Clayes - Art for Sale

Alice Des Clayes ARCA (1890–1968) was a Scottish-born artist heavily influenced by impressionism. She has a following of collectors in the UK and also in Canada—especially in the Montreal area where she moved to in 1914. Below are Alice Des Clayes paintings for sale from the Des Clayes family sale in Exeter, Devon 2017.

Alice Des Clayes was born in Aberdeen along with her two older sisters, Berthe and Gertrude who were also notable artists. She moved to Newlyn in Cornwall where she studied at the Bushey School of Art and then to Ambleteuse, Northern France.

Whilst in France Alice worked with well-known illustrator and painter Dudley Hardy. In 1914 she emigrated to Montreal, Canada and in 1920 became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. She was strongly influenced by impressionism and often worked in chalk and pastels as well as watercolour and oil. Her use of pastels is thought to best portray her skills as a colourist and aided her in capturing the agrarian scenery, often featuring farm life—in particular horses.

Alice returned to England in 1938 to settle in Newton Abbot, Devon. Her gallery holdings include the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada.