Robin Darwin: Visionary Educator and Painter

Sir Robert Vere “Robin” Darwin was a British artist and Rector of the Royal College of Art. The story is to do with wartime camouflage, post-war reconstruction, Festival of Britain 1951, re-shaping arts education in Britain for the future (the list of RCA graduates from 1950-80 is particularly impressive including not just fine artists (David Hockney, Peter Blake) but innovative designers such as James Dyson for example). The Royal College of Arts as it became by the 1980s is largely the result of one man and his drive, his vision and inspite of his gruffness, his ability to inspire loyalty and creative thinking in others. The list of RCA professors , tutors and visiting lecturers 1949-80 he brought in, reads like a roll-call of the best contemporary designers, graphic designers and artists in Britain during those years and they inspired the students.