Briton Rivière Biography | Oil Paintings

Briton Rivière came from an artistic family and was educated at Cheltenham College where his father was the drawing instructor. His first pictures appeared at the British Institution in 1851-1852, and in 1857 he exhibited three works at the Royal Academy, but it was not until 1863 that he became a regular contributor to the Academy exhibitions, contributing The Eve of the Spanish Armada, and the following year Romeo and Juliet. However, subjects of this kind did not attract him long, for in 1865 Briton Rivière began, with Sleeping Deerhound, a series of paintings of animal subjects and pets with people for which he became known.

Between 1863 and 1867, Briton Rivière studied at the University of Oxford, where he received his degree in 1867. His father, William Rivière, was also an art teacher at the University of Oxford. His paternal uncle Henry Parsons Rivière was also a noted watercolor painter.

Early in his career, Briton Rivière made some mark as an illustrator, beginning with Punch magazine. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1878, and Royal Academician in 1881, and received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford in 1891. In 1896, he ran for President of the Royal Academy but was narrowly defeated in the election. His wife, Mary Alice Rivière who he married in 1867, after receiving his oxford degree, was also a painter who briefly exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, and one of the sons, Hugh Goldwin Rivière, became a portrait artist.

Art Movement: Victorian Classicism.
Artists Influencing Briton Rivière: William Rivière.
Artist Biography compiled by Albert L. Mansour at The World's Artist, with text adapted from Wikipedia.