Berthe Des Clayes

Berthe Des Clayes was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877. She received her artistic training at the Bushey School of Art in England under Hubert von Herkomer, followed by studies at the Académie Julian in Paris with instructors Tony Robert-Fleury and Jules Lefebvre. After living in London from 1906 to 1912, she emigrated to Montreal, Canada, where she was later joined by her sisters Gertrude (1879-1949) and Alice (1890-1968), who were also artists. Together they established a studio in Beaver Hall Square, a popular location for artists and architects.

Des Clayes divided her time between England and Canada throughout her life. She lived in Montreal from 1912 to 1919, moved to Chorleywood, England in 1920, and returned to Montreal from 1931 to 1951. She spent her final years in Devon, England, where she passed away in 1968. During her career, she worked primarily as a landscape painter using oils, watercolors, and chalk pastels in an impressionistic style.

Her artistic accomplishments include winning the Jessie Dow Prize twice, awarded by the Art Association of Montreal. She illustrated two notable books: "Here and There in Montreal and the Island of Montreal" (1931) by Charles W. Stokes and "Acadia (Nova Scotia)" published by the Dominion Atlantic Railway. Des Clayes exhibited regularly with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts from 1912 to 1947 and participated in the Spring Exhibitions of the Montreal Museum of Fine Art.

Berthe Des Clayes' work is held in several prestigious collections including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the University of Calgary, the University of British Columbia, and Library and Archives Canada, confirming her significant contribution to both Canadian and British art.