Greaves, Walter
Date Born/Est
04 Jul 1846
Date Died/Ceased
23 Nov 1930
Biographical Display
WALTER GREAVES, artist
Walter Greaves was the son of a Chelsea waterman and boat builder and was born at Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. In 1863 the young James Whistlerand his mother became neighbours, Whistler became friends with Greaves and his brother Henry. Greaves's father had rowed J M W Turner on the Thames, and the Greaves brothers did the same for Whistler. Whistler taught the brothers to paint, and they taught him the 'waterman's jerk', their term for the Thames rowing stroke.
Greaves worked in oils, watercolour, pastel, pen and ink and etching and varied from high quality topographical draughtmanship to Whistlerian paintings. His naive masterpeice Hammersmith Bridge on Boat Race Day he claimed to have painted when he was 16. This is in the Tate collection, and The Last Chelsea Regatta is in the Manchester City Galleries collection.
The Greaves brotheres and Whistler eventually fell out.There was a major exhibition in 1911 of Walter's works found in a second-hand bookshop. A critic then suggested that these were unfinished Whistlers which Greaves had stolen, touched up and signed, and his reputation was in ruins. But in 1921 several prominent artists rescued Greaves and his reputation, made him an honorary member of Chelsea Arts Club and found accommodation for him at Charterhouse.
Walter Greaves was the son of a Chelsea waterman and boat builder and was born at Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. In 1863 the young James Whistlerand his mother became neighbours, Whistler became friends with Greaves and his brother Henry. Greaves's father had rowed J M W Turner on the Thames, and the Greaves brothers did the same for Whistler. Whistler taught the brothers to paint, and they taught him the 'waterman's jerk', their term for the Thames rowing stroke.
Greaves worked in oils, watercolour, pastel, pen and ink and etching and varied from high quality topographical draughtmanship to Whistlerian paintings. His naive masterpeice Hammersmith Bridge on Boat Race Day he claimed to have painted when he was 16. This is in the Tate collection, and The Last Chelsea Regatta is in the Manchester City Galleries collection.
The Greaves brotheres and Whistler eventually fell out.There was a major exhibition in 1911 of Walter's works found in a second-hand bookshop. A critic then suggested that these were unfinished Whistlers which Greaves had stolen, touched up and signed, and his reputation was in ruins. But in 1921 several prominent artists rescued Greaves and his reputation, made him an honorary member of Chelsea Arts Club and found accommodation for him at Charterhouse.
Place Of Birth
Chelsea/London/England
Place Of Death
Hammersmith and Fulham/Greater London/England
