Edward Owen (artist)

Self-portrait of Edward Owen

Edward Owen (died 1741) was a Welsh artist; the son of minor nobility from Penrhos on Anglesey, who held an apprenticeship in London with the artist Thomas Gibson.^[1]

Owen never became a prominent artist, but painted one of Wales' oldest professional self-portraits.^[1] His letters also provide a historical record of 1700s life in the London art scene.^[1] Although a promising artist, some time during 1732 he was mugged and badly beaten while returning late at night from Covent Garden. He survived but never fully recovered from his injuries, which left him mostly blind and deaf. He returned home, and his subsequent works are nowhere near the quality of his earlier London pieces.^[1]

Owen died in 1741, apparently from consumption.^[1]

References

1. "Edward Owen's 'lost' self-portrait on show in Gwynedd". BBC News. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-02.