Richard Wilson Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Richard Wilson (Montgomeryshire, 1 August 1714 – Denbighshire, 15 May 1782) was a Welsh painter and a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768. Wilson has been described as "[...] the most meritorious painter Wales has never produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country". Read the full biography

Richard Wilson (Montgomeryshire, 1 August 1714 – Denbighshire, 15 May 1782) was a Welsh painter and a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768. Wilson has been described as "[...] the most meritorious painter Wales has never produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country". Wilson is considered the father of landscape painting in Britain. In 1729 he moved to London where he began working as a portrait painter under the guidance of an unknown artist: Thomas Wright. From 1750 to 1757 he went to Italy and in Venice, on the advice of Francesco Zuccarelli, he embraced landscape painting; in Rome he was then influenced by Claude Lorrain and the group of landscape artists from beyond the Alps operating in the city. Wilson was born in Penegoes (Montgomeryshire, Wales), the son of a cleric belonging to an ancient and respected family. First cousin of Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. Drawing in Italy and from 1757 in England, he was the first major British painter to devote himself primarily to panoramas. His landscapes influenced Constable and Turner. Wilson died at Colomendy, Denbighshire, and was buried in the churchyard of the Church of the Virgin Mary, Mold, Flintshire.