Walter Gilbert WILES (1875 – 1966)

BIOGRAPHY

Walter Gilbert Wiles was the second of five sons born to English sculptor Henry Wiles – all of whom were also artists. Wiles was born in England and spent a few years taking art classes in France before moving to South Africa in 1902.

In 1911, he moved back to London to further his art education but, after a short stint, returned to South Africa where he became an ostrich farmer. However, the industry suffered a crash in 1914 and this propelled Wiles into becoming a fulltime artist.

In 1920, Wiles held the first of many solo exhibitions in South Africa. In 1924, he exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley, England and, the following year, at an exhibition in Grahamstown (now Makhanda) to coincide with the visit of then Prince of Wales, Edward VIII. In his early years, Wiles utilised pastels and watercolours, but later turned exclusively to oil painting.

SOURCE
‘Walter Gilbert Wiles,’ Strauss&co, https://www.straussart.co.za/artists/walter-gilbert-wiles.