Rothenstein, Sir William (1872-1945), an English painter and printmaker, won fame for his portraits. Rothenstein was a major figure in British art for 50 years as both an artist and teacher. Rothenstein’s best-known works are his portraits of famous people executed in graphic art, drawings, and oil paintings. He also was a landscape artist, favoring scenes of Gloucestershire, where he lived from 1912 to 1919. He was principal of the Royal College of Art, in London, from 1920 to 1935.
Rothenstein had two sons. John Knewstub Maurice Rothenstein (1901-1992) was widely known as an art historian. He was director of the Tate Gallery from 1938 to 1964. He was knighted in 1952. Michael Rothenstein (1908-1993) was a painter and printmaker. His works hang in many principal art galleries.
William Rothenstein was born on Jan. 29, 1872, in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He studied in Paris from 1889 to 1893, where the French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas praised his work. Rothenstein’s best-known paintings include The Doll’s House (1899), Cliffs of Vaucottes (1909), and Farm at Far Oakridge, Late Summer (1933). His autobiography was published as Men and Memories (1931-1932) and Since Fifty (1939). Rothenstein was knighted in 1931. He died on Feb. 14, 1945.
