Atkinson Grimshaw

1836–1893

Atkinson Grimshaw, ‘Liverpool Quay by Moonlight’ 1887
Liverpool Quay by Moonlight 1887
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In Tate Britain

Walk Through British Art: 1840

Free entry

Biography

John Atkinson Grimshaw (6 September 1836 – 13 October 1893) was an English Victorian-era artist best known for his nocturnal scenes of urban landscapes. Today, he is considered one of the most renowned painters of the Victorian era, as well as one of the best and most accomplished nightscape, and townscape, artists of all time.

Grimshaw's accuracy and drive for realism was criticised by some contemporaries, with one critic claiming that his paintings ‘showed no marks of handling or brushwork’ meaning that ‘not a few artists were doubtful whether they could be accepted as paintings at all’. However, other contemporaries recognised his mastery of lighting and technique, and James McNeill Whistler, whom Grimshaw would go on to work with in his Chelsea studios, stated, “I considered myself the inventor of nocturnes until I saw Grimmy’s moonlit pictures.”

His early paintings were signed "JAG", "J. A. Grimshaw", or "John Atkinson Grimshaw", though he finally settled on "Atkinson Grimshaw".

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Artworks

Atkinson Grimshaw, ‘Liverpool Quay by Moonlight’ 1887

Atkinson Grimshaw Liverpool Quay by Moonlight

1887
On display at Tate Britain part of Walk Through British Art T00902
Atkinson Grimshaw, ‘View of Heath Street by Night’ 1882

Atkinson Grimshaw View of Heath Street by Night

1882
T00626
Atkinson Grimshaw, ‘Bowder Stone, Borrowdale’ c.1863–8

Atkinson Grimshaw Bowder Stone, Borrowdale

c.1863–8
T03683

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