Charles Ricketts

Swiss artist known for his skill in various mediums, a painter, illustrator and sculptor as well as an author and publisher. From his distinctive use of the color, "Ricketts blue" was named after him, a light-blue commercial dye. Ricketts studied wood engraving in Kennington in 1882, and from 1889-97, he was the publisher of "The Dial," an exotic journal, released on an irregular schedule. Homosexual himself, he worked with Oscar Wilde in 1891, designing Wilde’s first editions, and in 1894, he established the Vale Press. He took up oil painting in 1902, and eventually produced three volumes on art, including "The Prado and its Masterpieces." Although Ricketts displayed a strong love for the Old Masters, in particular the works from the Italian Renaissance period, he remained aloof from the artistic movements of his own time. He began designing theatre sets in 1906. In 1923, he became an informal advisor to the National Gallery of Canada before receiving an official appointment in 1927. After their meeting during the early 1880s, Charles Haselwood Shannon became his longtime friend and companion. Enthusiastic, joyful and intense, Ricketts loved to talk and was passionate about both his life and his art. His friends described him as a generous and decent man. His heart failed on October 7, 1931 in London. Link to Wikipedia biography