b. 1926 Born in Scotland, Craigie Aitchison moved to London to study Law at the Middle Temple, but quickly turned to painting. He attended the Slade from 1952-54. In 1954 he was one of ‘Six Young Contemporaries’ at Gimpel Fils; in 1955 he was awarded a British Council Scholarship to study in Italy. There, the quality of the light and the landscape profoundly affected his work as did early Italian art with its simplified depiction of events. On returning to London, he developed a style of abbreviated forms and strong pastel colours which he has continued to use throughout his career. His first one-man show was at the Beaux Arts Gallery, London in 1959. He was given two more one-man shows by Beaux Arts in 1960 and 1964 and in 1970 he won the Edwin Austin Abbey Premier Scholarship.