Sir john lavery biography of williams

In 1914, like his fellow Irish artist William Orpen, Lavery was made an official war artist, but ill-health and a car accident ruled out any active duty. It was during this time that he became friendly with the Asquith family whose portraits he painted along with such pictures like Summer on the River.

After the war, Lavery received a knighthood and then in 1921 was elected to the Royal Academy.

He also became more involved with Irish art and politics. Lavery always saw himself as a recorder of events, thus, in 1921, during the Anglo-Irish negotiations over the Irish Treaty, he painted numerous portraits of the members of the Irish delegation, and after the death of the Irish Republican leader Michael Collins he completed Michael Collins, Love of Ireland.

In the 1930s, he returned to Ireland for good and died in County Kilkenny, aged 84.

Lavery first married Kathleen MacDermott, who tragically died of tuberculosis. In 1909 he married the beautiful