William Crozier ARSA 1897-1930

William Crozier, the second son of Mr. William Crozier, was born in Edinburgh on 20th June 1897. After six years, 1903 to 1909, at George Heriot’s School, where he gained a bursary, an accident in the play- ground invalided him for nine months. On his recovery he served for a time in the offices of The North British Rubber Company, but a severe illness rendered a business career impossible, and, always deeply interested in Art, Crozier commenced study at the Edinburgh College in his nineteenth year.

From the first he showed out- standing ability, and in the Royal Scottish Academy School of Painting gained the Chalmers Bursary, was ultimately awarded the Carnegie Travelling Scholarship, and proceeded to France and Italy. In France especially he found himself, developed his talent, and made many friends, among others Madame Frangois Millet, daughter- in-law of the great painter, Later on Crozier was much on the Continent, finding inspiration there for many of his best works, though in and around Edinburgh his original talent discovered new and unexpected beauty.

He exhibited in the Academy from 1920 till 1930, and shared the Guthrie Award in 1928 for ‘The Cello Player,” one of his few figure pictures; the Scottish Modern Arts Association purchased “ From the Mound,” and Glasgow Corporation ‘The Mill,” the same year.

Mr. Crozier was elected Associate of the Academy in 1930 at the early age of thirty-three, and his sudden death on Friday, 19th December, caused universal regret among the members, who, in spite of his delicate health, had hoped for great things in the future, inspired as he was by indomitable courage, and talented both as a painter and an etcher in a remarkable degree.

RSA Obituary by G. Washington Brown & James Paterson RSA. Transcribed from the RSA 1930 Annual Report