Michael Finn 1921-2002

Born in Surrey, Michael Finn was an influential artist of the post-Second World War generation most associated with the art of Cornwall.

Born to an architect and his wife, Michael Finn grew up near Brooklands, Surrey, and was educated at Westminster School in London. Choosing to follow his passion, in 1938 Finn was accepted to study at Kingston Art School, where he studied for four years before being accepted by the Royal Air Force for pilot training in Canada in 1942.

In the depths of the Second World War, Finn returned to Britain and trained to fly the DC3 Dakota on close support operations. He also married his love and contemporary at Kingston, Cely Bailey. During the next two years, as the Allies moved onto the offensive, air transport support for the land armies was crucial and Finn saw action over Northern Europe and in the fateful Arnhem operation. Typically, forty years later, he sold his row of campaign medals from this period to support the work of his local Cornish Art Gallery. When the War ended he was on standby for the Far East Theatre.

After the war, Finn was keen to complete his art education and to again focus again his passion, gaining a place at the Royal College of Art. Flying and art had been two of Finn’s earliest ambitions, but so was raising a family and in 1945 he and Cely celebrated the birth of their first child. After proving his quality as an artist, Finn began a respected career in teaching, taking a post at the Somerset College of Art, Taunton, in 1949. It was while serving in this role that he and Cely had their second child.

It was in the 50s, at the beginning of a period of major artistic flourishing in Cornwall, that Finn then moved to Falmouth. He took a position at the Falmouth School of Art - the school with which he is now most closely associated - and by 1958 had been appointed Principal. Cornwall had been an important place for British artists since the late nineteenth century but after the Second World War it had witnessed a major flowering with the group of artists centred on St Ives. In that environment Finn came into his own as an energetic and purposeful educator and organiser. His Head of Painting at Falmouth for many years was Francis Hewlett, who recently recalled, ‘He was a wonderful person, passionate about art and serious about the role of artists. He was an incredibly good principal.We had amazing rows – which were always civil.’

Finn took the more prestigious role of Principal at the Bath Academy of Arts and had to leave Cornwall in the 70s but always maintained a strong connection to the Duchy.

In 1978, the Festival Gallery, Bath, held Finn's first solo exhibition. This was followed by a major exhibition at the Newlyn Art Gallery the year afterwards. A commission to create a crucifix for Truro Cathedral brought the artist back to Cornwall in 1996, following years of Finn exhibiting his paintings in the space. Michael Finn died in 2002.