Ruth Leibman – a life spent painting
Ruth Sylvia Leibman was born in Glasgow in 1927, and moved to Belsize Park in 1948. She studied at Camberwell School of Art and spent five decades painting scenes of Hampstead life, and portraits of people she encountered there. She died on 5th August 2000 at the age of 73.
She was a passionate and talented artist, focusing her attentions on the areas around her North London home. The paintings are charming glimpses into life around Hampstead over 50 years; unique pieces of social history that document both the beauty and tranquillity of the area.
Ruth’s extraordinary collection of work spans a lifetime – from simple early sketches in pastel, through to delicate watercolours and her favourite medium, oils. Paintings from her travels often appear, depicting the landscapes of Spain and South Africa with the same gentle, engaging touch.
Previous retrospective exhibitions at Wac Arts have included The Spring Collection, a mix of still life and portraits that showcased her ability to capture the colours and feel of the spring season, and Life on the Heath, a collection that documented and embodied the local spirit and people.
The trustees of the Ruth Leibman Will Trust have now decided to donate all money realised from sales of Ruth’s work to Wac Arts. This money will support Wac Arts in providing impactful Performing Arts and Media programmes to young people. Many of these young people come from disadvantaged backgrounds and without Wac Arts they would not be able to access this high standard of arts training.
We will hold be holding an exhibition of Ruth’s remaining works in the Autumn of 2016. Please keep an eye on the Wac Arts News for details.
To reserve a painting contact Hayley Butler on 020 7692 5807 or email Hayley.Butler@WacArts.co.uk.
Previous exhibitions –
The Spring Collection
A diverse range of painting were chosen for this exhibition landscapes, still life’s and portrait using both oils and watercolour. The collection really showed off Ruth’s talent as an artist. The focus was on flowers… with of her paintings showing bright, detailed, large works full of the feelings of Spring. The paintings like ‘View from country after the storm’, ‘Gerberas and re rose’, ‘Two Shells’, ‘Hydrangeas’, in the collection present her observation and personal encounters with nature. The retrospective exhibition showcased Ruth’s work over the years, displaying paintings from as early 1950s until late 1990s.
Life On The Heath
The first exhibition of Ruth’s work was Life on the Heath. The painting selected for the exhibition titled “Life On The Heath” were all painted whilst Ruth lived in the area. Some are from her moments of watching the world go by on Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill and some are of local people from the area. All of Ruth’s painting are beautifully produced from the eye of an artist who loved the area that she lived in and the people that she met.
Press
www.camdennewjournal.com/will-ful-neglect
www.thenefariousmagazine.com/#!introspection-camden-reportage/c1ol7