Alvin Gittins

Alvin L. Gittins (17 January 1922 – 7 March 1981) was an English-born artist who was a professor at the University of Utah. He has been described as "one of [the United States] greatest portrait artists ever".[1]

Alvin L. Gittins
Born(1922-01-17)17 January 1922
Kidderminster, England, United Kingdom
Died7 March 1981(1981-03-07) (aged 59)
Spouse(s)Gwendolen Ellis

Life and career

Gittins was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. He attended art school in London. Gittins was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England. He first came to the United States in 1946 and graduated from Brigham Young University in 1947. He was appointed a member of the University of Utah art faculty in 1947. From 1956 to 1962 Gittins was head of the University of Utah art department.

Gittins painted 89 portraits of people connected with the University of Utah and at least one of his portraits hangs in almost every campus building. He focused heavily on the detail of human figures and sought to bring out his subjects feelings in his paintings. As a professor, Gittins was noted for insisting on intensive studies of anatomy and perspective at a time when most art programs focused on expressionist art.

Among the many people Gittins painted portraits of were David O. McKay, Henry Eyring, Maurice Abravanel and Haile Selassie I. However, not all of Gittins' subjects were living. He also painted a portrait of Joseph Smith.[2] Gittins' work was exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Royal Society of British Painters in London as well as at Portraits, Inc. in New York City.

Gittins married Gwendolen Ellis and they had four children: Jonathan, Simon, Sarah and Christopher.[3]

Among Gittins' students were William F. Whitaker, Ed Maryon, Randall Lake,[4] Shauna Cook Clinger, Greg Hull, Steven Heward, Earl Jones, Danny Baxter, John Owen Erickson, Mary Lou Romney, and Gary Lee Price.[5]

Notes
  1. bio of Gittens from bristleconegallery
  2. LDS Art info about Gittins portrait of Joseph Smith
  3. Deseret News Obituary for Christopher Gittins, 17 January 1998
  4. http://www.randalllake.com
  5. bio of Price Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
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References
  • Utah Artists Project Biography: Alvin L. Gittins, University of Utah: Marriott Library, archived from the original on 18 November 2008
  • Oman, Richard G. (1992), "Artists, Visual", in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 70–73, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140.
  • Alvin Gittins, State of Utah Collections, Utah Division of Arts & Museums
  • Marion, Linda (Fall 2001), "Perfect North Light University", Continuum, University of Utah, archived from the original on 10 June 2010, retrieved 3 September 2009
  • Alvin Gittins at Find a Grave
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