Robert Washington

Robert Johnson Washington was born in South-East London and, proving to be a promising artist, like his father, he joined Goldsmiths' College in 1930 to study painting before moving on to the Royal College of Art. After three years in the painting school, he moved to the pottery department which was headed by William Staite Murray (1881-1962), one of the leading studio potters in Britain, who influenced Robert in his belief in pottery as fine art. Bob continued to promote this all his working life. He was also taught the practical aspects of pottery and glazing by Dora Billington (1890-1968), at the Central School of Art and Crafts, who had come from a family of potters and had worked within the pottery industry.

One of Washington's major contributions to ceramics was to continue the fight for its recognition as fine art and it would have been interesting to see how he would have developed his talents had he devoted his life to ceramics. With a great deal of enthusiasm, creativity and imagination sidetracked into education, much of his work has often been seen as over- influenced by Murray. But the similarity is superficial for Washington's forms are imbued with their own powerful personality which is both sculpturally aware and assertive of the character of their maker.