Biography

James Kerr-Lawson was only three when his family emigrated from Fife to Hamilton, Ontario. When he reached adulthood he returned to Europe, eventually settling in London, but he maintained links with the artistic community in Canada. He fought in the First World War and in 1917 was commissioned by the Canadian Government to paint the ruined cities of Arras and Ypres. Kerr-Lawson was best known as a portrait painter and muralist.