Iris Birtwistle
| Iris Mary Birtwistle | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 May 1918 Near Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 22 June 2006 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Poet and Gallery Owner |
| Alma mater | Reimann School |
Iris Mary Birtwistle (29 May 1918 – 22 June 2006; also known as Lilla and IM Birtwistle) was an English lyric poet and gallery owner who nurtured young artists despite eventually losing her sight.
Born near Blackburn, Lancashire on 29 May 1918, second of the eight children of a cotton-mill owner. Her brother Col. Michael Albert Astley Birtwistle was a High Sheriff of Lancashire, and she was a cousin of race horse trainer Monica Dickenson (née Birtwistle, the mother of Michael W. Dickinson). She was educated at the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus, Mayfield, Sussex, and the Reimann School of Art in London. During the Second World War, she enlisted as an officer in the Wrens.
Throughout her life her she wrote poetry, which in the 40s, 50s and 60s appeared in many of the major journals and other well known publications, including: Poetry Review, The New English Weekly, The Fortnightly, The Spectator, The Tablet and The Times Literary Supplement. She was admired by leading writers of her day such as T. S. Eliot, Robert Graves, and Muriel Spark (who credited Birtwistle with her conversion to Catholicism).
In the 50s she adopted three sons and settled in Walberswick, Suffolk, where she opened the first of her unique art galleries. The novelist, Jennifer Lash (aka Jinni Fiennes) lived with her there for a while, and was introduced to her husband Mark Fiennes by Birtwistle. There Birwistle championed the Royal Academicians Mary Potter, Mary Newcomb, Jeffrey Camp and Philip Sutton. She also nurtured young talent, and sold early work of a young David Hockney. In the late 60's and early 70's she had a small gallery in Aldeburgh.
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