Gregory Brown was born in London, the son of J Terrell Brown, an art master. After an apprenticeship as a metal worker, Brown turned initially to illustration for magazines and later to poster design, for which he won a diploma at the Milan International Exhibition in 1923, he was an early member of the Design and Industries Association. In addition to his work as a poster designer for companies such as ICI, London Underground and Whitney Blankets, he also designed textiles for which he won a Gold Medal at the 1925 Paris Exhibition of the Decorative Arts. He adopted a simplified lyrical style in his poster design that linked bucolic descriptions, much admired by the British, with bright cheerful colour. He died on 5th March 1951.

Glossary

  • Design

    The arrangement of elements or details in an artefact or a work of art.

  • Metal

    Metal is a medium frequently used by artists to make art works - from sculpture to printmaking. Surfaces can display an array of colours and textures, and are capable of being polished to a high gloss; metal can be melted, cast, or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wire.