'Keith Grant Tribute' issue of 'The Daub', 'Group IV's magazine', for painting students at the Working Men's College in Camden, with review by Grant of 'diploma week' at the Royal College of Art', and 'Sketch Club Cuttings'.

An interesting and scarce item. There are no copies of any issues of this magazine on either OCLC WorldCat or COPAC, and there is no record whatsoever of 'Group IV' itself. Now acknowledged as one of Britain's finest landscape painters, Keith Grant joined the Working Men's College on finishing his National Service with the RAF; he then enrolled at Willesden Art School, before joining the Royal College of Art, where he studied under Colin Hayes, John Minton and Kenneth Rowntree. 22pp., 4to. With two illustrations on black and white photographic prints, stapled to pp.7 and 19: the first being a cartoon captioned 'The Sketch Club Committee meet each other for the first time', and the second a photograph of a young man sketching by a canal'. Mimeographed, typed magazine, with drophead title on p.2: '"DAUB" | GROUP IV'S MAGAZINE | July, 1958.' In silkscreened wraps printed with attractive abstract design in black, light brown and powder blue, with title 'THE DAUB.' and price '3d'. The introduction, by the unnamed editor, states that 'this magazine comes to you largely by courtesy of the Working Men's College, the Ministry of Education and the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, although the latter two bodies may not be aware of the fact.' The penultimate paragraph reads: 'Lastly, this issue was to have been in the form of a Keith Grant Tribute. It still is, but I am glad to say that he won't be going so far away after all.' The concluding paragraph congratulates 'Sidney Knight on his winning of the Lowes Dickinson prize. W[orking]. M[en's]. C[ollege]'s latest gift to painting will be spending his scholarship money in Paris.' Pp.4-18 carry Grant's 'Some reflections in the Royal College of Art during Diploma Week and a review of the Lowes Dickinson Exhbition'. Grant begins by expressing satisfaction that he is 'part of a year that shows much talent. I wonder if this year will mark English painting as those golden years the Slade School enjoyed with John, Spencer, Gertler, Nash, and later, Rowntree and many of the other well-known names. Will Plummer [Robin Plummer (b.1931)], Messenger [Anthony Messenger (1936-2001)], Clairmonte [Christopher Clairmonte (1932-2012)], Chalk [Michael Chalk (b.1933)] and William Green [William Henry Green (1934-2001)] be as parallels to the Slade painters of the first decades of this century?' His discussion of the Lowes Dickinson Exhibition includes the work of 'Mr. E. H. Bennett, a person to whom all in Group IV are indebted for his energy and hard work in organising the Sketch Club and his enthusiasm for the College', and the winner of the Lowes Dickinson Travelling Scholarship, Sidney Knight ('Mr. Knight, S. A. K.'). The final three pages (20-22) carry the 'Sketch Club Cuttings', consisting of short entries by the editor on eight outings to areas on the Thames. Of 'Chelsea' he writes: 'Lots of people. Another kind of farewell party to Keith. Our youngest painter and member practised his art in a skiff using oars instead of brushes. Round and round the Horses' Mouth - the barge for the film; perhaps hoping for a view of Alec Guiness [sic] and his lovelies. A most amusing, jolly tea and cakes, etc., passed up the hatch to the row of members sitting along the roof of a neighbouring boat.'