Paule Vézelay, born Marjorie Watson-Williams in 1892, grew up in Clifton, Bristol. Her family home on Rodney Place, which survived the bombings of WWII, remains a private residence today. In a full-circle moment, its current owner is lending one of Vézelay’s works to the RWA’s landmark exhibition dedicated to this trailblazing artist.
As a student at Clifton High School, Vézelay was as energetic on the hockey and cricket fields as she was in her creative pursuits. Outside the classroom, her father, a specialist doctor, would take her on trout-fishing trips across Somerset. These outdoor adventures, combined with the rolling landscapes of her surroundings, left a lasting mark on her art, which often celebrated natural forms and organic shapes.
Aged 18, Vézelay began studying painting and etching at the Bristol School of Art, located in the RWA building. It was clear from the start that she had talent to spare. Early in her career, she found inspiration in the bustling cultural life of the city. The grand Bristol Hippodrome, then newly opened in 1912, captured her imagination. Her 1918 watercolour of the Hippodrome, on loan from the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, will feature in the RWA exhibition alongside other drawings and prints of performers and audiences.
In 1926, Vézelay took a bold leap, leaving Bristol for the artistic epicentre of Paris. Reinventing herself, she adopted the name Paule Vézelay to mark her new beginning and fully immerse herself in the international art scene. There, she thrived, holding solo exhibitions and moving in the same circles as cultural icons like Hemingway, Kandinsky, Sonia Delaunay, and Alexander Calder. Her move to abstraction was pioneering, cementing her place in art history.
When WWII broke out, Vézelay reluctantly returned to Bristol to care for her elderly mother. Despite the upheaval, she continued to contribute, securing a permit from the War Artists Advisory Committee to document wartime Bristol in drawings and photographs. Her sketches of bombed-out buildings and the twisted metal of the Blitz capture both the devastation and resilience of her hometown. She was also fascinated by the curious shapes of barrage balloons, which she once described as “tough monsters.”
Vézelay’s wartime contributions didn’t stop at art. With help from Frome MP Mavis Tate, she founded the first branch of the Women’s Defence Corps in Bristol after the central War Office had dismissed women’s offers to help. It’s a testament to her determination and pioneering spirit.
Uncompromising and clear-sighted in her artistic ambitions, Vézelay continued to push artistic boundaries throughout her long career. Somewhat forgotten and left out of the art history books in recent years, there is no better place to revive and celebrate the work of Vezelay than her home town of Bristol. The upcoming RWA exhibition celebrates her extraordinary life, featuring sixty works produced over a seven-decade career with from collections as far-reaching as Tate and as close to home as her family residence on Rodney Place.
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