British Impressionist and Modern artist, the distinctive artwork of Anthony Gilbert will have graced almost every home in post-war Britain. From illustrations for leading magazines such as Vogue and Radio Times to logos for ubiquitous brands such as After Eight mints, Gilbert created a formidable body of commercial work as well as a large number of paintings and private commissions. He created designs for brands including Rowntree's Horlicks and Rose's Lime Juice and the most enduring of which was his Rococo clock for After Eight mints inspired by his own mantel clock and still used by Nestle today.
Born in 1916, Gilbert trained at Goldsmith's College in London, and in 1943 joined the London office of advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, where he would work for the next 25 years.
As well as his work for the firm, Gilbert produced his own paintings and took on several independent commissions. In 1948, he designed a poster for London Transport to promote the capital's museums, and he designed murals for the 1951 Festival of Britain.
After leaving the advertising world in 1969, Gilbert might have become a total recluse were it not for the support of his wife, Ann, his lifelong model and muse. Ann became not only Gilbert's lifelong model and muse (indeed, after they met, he rarely drew anyone else), but also his helpmeet. For example, when Gilbert had commissions for fashion illustrations, Anne would travel to London to pick up dresses from Vogue's various fashion editors; return to their home in Kent; model the designs for Gilbert to draw; and then return the clothes to the magazine along with his finished works. Gilbert's work reflects his elegant taste, encyclopedic knowledge of design, and rare ability to balance an almost dizzying variety of pattern with clear, often severe compositions and forms. And it is thanks to the support and devotion of his wife Ann that he was able to produce such a prolific and unique body of work, which remains as chic as it is timeless.
Painter and designer Willie Landels, who became the first editor of Harpers & Queen, recalled: "Anthony was not easy to know. Always immaculately dressed, the epitome of an English gentleman, he was also shy and reserved and not easily taken in conversation. But his work held so much appeal."