The Legacy of the Euston Road Group and Camberwell School of Art

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In the shifting tides of 20th-century British art, two institutions stand out for their commitment to realism and their influence on generations of artists: the Euston Road Group and the Camberwell School of Art. Their shared ethos of observational painting and social relevance helped shape the careers of many prominent figures, including Anthony Eyton RA, Bernard Dunstan RA, and Claude Rogers OBE. Sworders are pleased to offer a selection of works from this period, linking artists associated to both groups, including 16 fine examples from a private collection.

^{▲ Bernard Dunstan RA (1920-2017), 'Urbino, Belvedere, Morning' (£800-1,200)}

The Euston Road Group: Objective painting

Founded in 1937 by William Coldstream, Victor Pasmore, and Claude Rogers, the Euston Road School was a reaction against the avant-garde movements dominating the art world. Instead of abstraction or surrealism, the group championed naturalism and realism, believing that art should be accessible and socially relevant.

Their teaching emphasized acute representational painting based on observation, and their political leanings—many were on the left—further reinforced their desire to democratise art. Though short-lived (1937–1939), the group’s influence endured, particularly through its members’ roles in reshaping art education at institutions like the Camberwell School of Art.

^{▲ Claude Rogers (1907-1979), Figures on a beach (£1,200-1,800)}

Camberwell School of Art: A Post-War Renaissance

Under the leadership of William Johnstone, Camberwell underwent a transformation in the post-war years. Johnstone recruited key Euston Road artists—Pasmore, Coldstream, and Rogers—to teach painting, reviving the school’s reputation and attracting a wave of talented students, many of them ex-servicemen.

^{▲ Anthony Eyton RA (b.1923), 'Nude by a Red Cloth' (£600-800)}

Camberwell became a hub for figurative painting, with a strong emphasis on direct observation and disciplined technique. This approach resonated with artists such as Anthony Eyton RA, who studied there in 1947. Eyton absorbed the Euston Road method but expanded it through travel and experimentation, becoming one of the last great painters of that tradition.

Other artists followed similar paths, blending the Euston Road ethos with their own stylistic developments. Bernard Dunstan RA, who taught at Camberwell from 1950 to 1964, brought a lyrical sensibility to his intimate interiors and landscapes, drawing inspiration from Renoir, Bonnard, and Vuillard—yet always grounded in the observational discipline of his predecessors.

^{▲ Dodie Masterman (1918-2009), Still life with orange and grapes (£200-300)}

Claude Rogers OBE, a founding member of the Euston Road Group, was instrumental in embedding its principles at Camberwell. His own work combined sober figuration with subtle abstraction, and his teaching helped shape the school’s post-war identity.

^{▲ Dick Lee (1923-2001), Fakenham Races (£300-500)}

Dick Lee, born in Rhodesia, studied under Coldstream, Rogers, and Pasmore at Camberwell. His landscapes and interiors, painted on-site, reflect the freshness and spontaneity encouraged by the Euston Road approach. Lee later became a long-serving tutor at Camberwell, continuing the tradition well into the 1980s.

Even artists not formally affiliated with the Euston Road Group found themselves in dialogue with its ideals. John Minton, who taught illustration at Camberwell from 1943 to 1946, embraced a neo-romantic style that, while more expressive, retained a commitment to figurative art and the human subject. His influence extended to the Royal College of Art and beyond, where he became a cult figure in post-war British painting.

^{▲ John Minton (1917-1957), The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris (£8,000-12,000)}

Together, the Euston Road Group and the Camberwell School of Art fostered a distinctively British form of realism, one that valued discipline, observation, and social engagement. Their legacy lives on in the work of artists who passed through their studios and classrooms, many of whom became Royal Academicians and influential teachers themselves.

Tuesday 7 October | 10am

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