Biography

Cordelia Oliver was an artist, writer and arts critic. Born in Glasgow, she attended Glasgow School of Art where she established her interest in painting with a particular focus on portraiture. She regularly exhibited at the Society of Scottish Artists and the Royal Scottish Academy, and also worked as a freelance designer. Although she always considered herself an artist first of all, during the 1960s she became well known for her writing and arts criticism. Oliver wrote for the Manchester Guardian as the Scottish correspondent on both art and theatre alongside various other publications. Her writing was always direct and personal, and she was a keen advocate for modern Scottish art, championing the work of curator Richard Demarco, and artists including Joan Eardley, George Wylie and Pat Douthwaite.