William Sutton (Born 1917) was a landscape artist and portraitist born and based in New Zealand. (Christchurch). He graduated from the University Of Canterbury School Of Fine Arts (formerly the Canterbury College School of Art). He later returned there to teach and taught there for over 30 years. Sutton was tutored by many renowned Canterbury artists, including Archibald Nicoll, Evelyn Page and Colin Lovell-Smith, and in 1937 he gained his Diploma of Fine Arts. Ten years later, he moved to London where he studied shortly in St John’s Wood at the Anglo-French centre. In 1949, he returned to New Zealand and took up a teaching position in the College School of Art of Canterbury University. Here he was appointed senior lecturer in 1959.
From the 1940s to the 1950s, he followed the footsteps of fellow Canterbury artists, such as Louise Henderson, Rata Lovell-Smith and Colin and Rita Angus, and developed a distinguishing interpretation of the Canterbury landscape. Sutton was granted a lifetime membership to a number of leading professional art societies in and around New Zealand. In 1980, he was made a Companion of the British Empire as a sign of appreciation for his services to art. Hs pieces of art continue to cause a lot of excitement among artists, art teachers, art students and many clients all over the world. His art hangs on the walls of many esteemed walls and spaces and are a source of inspiration to many upcoming artists. Sutton died on 23rd January 2000 in Christchurch.
