# Walter Kershaw

Walter Kershaw (born 7 December 1940) is an English artist in oils and watercolours who is best known for his large scale, external, mural paintings in Northern England and the Americas.

## Biography

Kershaw is the only son of Florence Kershaw (née Ward) (1916–2010), a retired school caterer; and Walter Kershaw (1917–1998), who served in the Royal Air Force (1936–1946) at Duxford, achieving the rank of Flight Sergeant. He has two younger sisters. Kershaw attended De La Salle College, Salford from 1951 to 1958; and was later a student under the tutelage of Victor Pasmore, Richard Hamilton and Lawrence Gowing at King's College, Durham University (now part of Newcastle University) from 1958 to 1962, graduating with a BA Honours in Fine Art. Kershaw has been twice married and divorced but now is the father of twins (one son and one daughter) with Gillian Halliwell.
After graduating Kershaw taught at Bury Arts and Crafts Centre but has always primarily been self-employed and continued to work from his studio in Littleborough until his incarceration in 2021. His early large external murals painted on slum properties alongside his provocative public sculptures attracted much media attention throughout the '70s and early '80s. He was featured in interviews with Melvyn Bragg, Anna Ford (for Granada TV); Sue MacGregor (on BBC Radio 4); as a guest of Janet Street-Porter (on London Weekend Television); and also alongside Eric Morecambe on Russell Harty's BBC Two chat show.
George Best was a good friend of Kershaw's and purchased six large drawings and oil paintings from the artist. He also found support in Bob Monkhouse who not only purchased his paintings but also corresponded with him and promoted Kershaw's work on his BBC Radio 2 show.
Ian Potts of the BBC, then a student at the Polytechnic of Central London made a film about Kershaw's work called The First Graffiti Artist. It went on to win the best student film award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kershaw's work can be found in public collections worldwide including Bury Art Museum, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the National Collection of Brazilian Art in São Paulo.

## Controversies and incarceration

In March 2013, Kershaw at the age of 72, pleaded guilty to assaulting an acquaintance the previous year and was fined and given a 12-month conditional discharge.
Kershaw was also the subject of two year restraining order in December 2013. Since 2009 he had received a number of warnings from the police for harassment of Catherine Mitchell, a former life model, with whom he had a brief relationship in 2006.
In 2015 after repeated warnings, Kershaw was banned for life from contacting Miss Mitchell under the terms of another restraining order, but he continued to accost Miss Mitchell in the years that followed, and appeared before the courts repeatedly for breaching the order. In 2021 he was finally imprisoned for a term of four years.

## Selected exhibitions and critical reception

Major group and solo shows include Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford (1962); Salford Art Gallery (1969); House of Commons (1972); and "Lancashire South of the Sands", which toured from the County and Regimental Museum, Preston (1988)
1964: Avgarde Gallery, Manchester. First solo show. Review by Robert Waterhouse in The Guardian
1969: Salford Art Gallery. Review by Merete Bates in The Guardian
1971: North-West Gallery Art Service (touring). Review by Merete Bates in The Guardian
1972: Salford Art Gallery. Review by Merete Bates in The Guardian
1990: Salford Art Gallery. "From Rochdale to Rio". Review by Robert Clark in The Guardian

## Selected works
### Paintings

Kershaw has travelled extensively and his work (drawings, watercolours, oil paintings and some photos) can be put into series; for example:
* 1964 to present day: The Algarve
* 1974: San Francisco / Oakland
* 1987–1994: Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru
* 1993: Pacific Islands
Other works include:
| Year | Painting | Medium | Holding Institution | Dimensions | Acquisition |
| c. 1969 | View over Rochdale | Oil on board | Bury Art Museum | H 77 x W 88 cm | Purchased |
| c. 1970 | Highway Chile, M62 | Oil on hardboard | Salford Museum & Art Gallery | H 120 x W 174 cm | Purchased from artist |
| c. 1971 | Rochdale Arts Festival | Acrylic on canvas | Touchstones Rochdale | H 123 x W 123 cm | Gift from the Amateur Societies |
| c. 1971 | Nude in a Polythene Interior | Oil on board | Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museum | H 61 x W 91.4 cm | Purchased |
| c. 1974 | Fiddlers Ferry | Oil on canvas | Museum of Lancashire | H 115 x W 115 cm | Purchased from artist |
| c. 2009 | Trafford Park Mural | Oil on plywood | Waterside Arts Centre, Sale | H 193 x W 183 cm | Commissioned |
| unknown | Scrum-Half and Prop Forward | Oil on board | University of Salford | H 121.5 x W 91 cm | Purchased |
| unknown | Ready Steady Go | Oil on board | University of Salford | H 120 x W 120 cm | Purchased |

### Murals

Murals and street art are the medium Kershaw is best known for. Many were painted onto gable-ends of Victorian terraces in the Greater Manchester region and almost all of the early examples have now been demolished or lost through redevelopment. Kershaw always accepted the ephemeral nature of these pieces and often deliberately selected condemned properties as the canvas of his choice. In addition to the giant murals he also painted a number of neglected bridges in the Burnley, Bury and Rochdale areas which led to cease and desist type letters from the local authorities who were more concerned with ongoing costs to maintain such bold colour schemes as opposed to the aesthetic. Kershaw often painted these very early on Sunday mornings when few witnesses were around and these are now considered an early example of guerrilla art.
| Year | Mural | Location | Other people involved | Commissioned by | Notes |
| 1972 | Giant Pansies | Ramsay Street, Rochdale | Painted jointly with Anne Kelly | | Demolished |
| c.1973 | Madonna with Child | Kay Street, Bury | | | Demolished |
| c.1973 | King George V - Great Western Locomotive mural | Unknown Car Park, Peel Way, Bury | | | |
| 1974 | Spitfire | Hornby Street / North Street, Bury | Eric Kean, Graham Cooper, Paul O'Reilly and Olive Frith | | Demolished |
| 1974 | Alvin Stardust | Manchester Road, Heywood | Painted jointly with Eric Kean, assisted by Paul O'Reilly and Susan O'Reilly | | Filmed by Granada TV with Alvin Stardust signing the piece. Since demolished |
| 1974 | Public urinals | Halifax Road / Wardleworth Place, Rochdale | Painted jointly with Linda Garner | | Demolished |
| 1974 | Landscape mural | Littleborough, Rochdale | | | |
| 1975 | Condor | Condor Ironworks, Library Lane / Featherstall Road North, Oldham | Eric Kean, Graham Cooper, Paul O'Reilly and Olive Frith | Funded with £250 from GMC | 153 feet long. Since demolished |
| 1975 | Toyshed mural | Nursery School, Brimrod, Rochdale | | | |
| 1975 | Fulledge Community Centre mural | Brunshaw, Burnley | | The Mid-Pennine Association for the Arts | |
| 1976 | Inside-Out House | 53 Derby Street, Rochdale | Tony Smart (the Tretchikoff), Stewart Dawson (the ornaments) Arnold Solomon (the wallpaper stencils/designs), Peter Dent (the kitchen). Assisted by Olive Frith | BBC Two | Filmed for BBC Two's Terra Firma series. Since demolished |
| 1977 | North Western Museum of Science & Industry mural | Oddfellows Hall, Grosvenor Street, Manchester | Designed by Kenneth Billyard | | Site redeveloped |
| 1978 | The Caledonian mural | Bury Market | | | |
| 1979 | Magic carpet scene mural and bollards | Rochdale | | | Demolished |
| 1979 | Norwich school mural | Unknown school, Norwich | Peter Dent | Funded with £250 Arts Council grant | 80 feet long |
| 1982 | The Trafford Park mural (v1) | East wall of Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Park | Assisted by John Abbot, Hilary Cooper and Brigitte Streich (née Curtis) | Trafford Park Planning Department | Filmed by the BBC for Nationwide. Unveiled by Denis Law. Replaced by v2 in 1993 |
| 1983 | Life in Brazil | Corner of Armando Alvares Penteado St. and Avaré St., Higienopolis, São Paulo | Assisted by Hilary Cooper and 26 FAAP students | The British Council and Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) | Filmed by Rede Globo, Brazil |
| 1983 | Avro / British Aerospace mural | Canteen, BAe factory, Chadderton, Oldham | Painted jointly with Peter Dent | | News report on Look North West |
| 1985 | Recife Metro mosaic murals | Estação Central do Metrô, Rua Floriano Peixoto, Recife | | Recife Metro | 3 mosaic murals for the inauguration of the Recife Metro |
| 1985 | Cultura Inglesa mural | Av. Santo Amaro 6781, São Paulo | | The British Council and Cultura Inglesa | Lost |
| 1985 | Norwich Images | Wensum Lodge, 169 King Street, Norwich | Assisted by Ian Starsmore | | Filmed for Anglia TV's Folio series |
| 1985 | Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre mural | Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough | | Recreation and Arts Committee, Rochdale | Approx. 33 feet x 10 feet |
| 1988 | Manchester United F.C. murals | Old Trafford, Manchester | Researched by Cliff Butler; designed by Peter Dent | | Unveiled by Sir Matt Busby, Martin Edwards and Sir Alex Ferguson |
| 1988 | The Liverpool and Manchester Railway mural | | Painted jointly with Peter Dent | | Modified 2002 |
| 1993 | The Trafford Park mural (v2) | East wall of Victoria Warehouses, Trafford Park | Assisted by Jennie Lewis, Julie Nuttall, Adelia Villa and Stuart Dawson | Trafford Park Planning Department | 64 feet wide x 75 feet high, removed 2007 |
| 1996 | Sarajevo Winter Festival mural | Hasan Kikić School, Sarajevo | Murals by Andrea Tierney, Gillian Halliwell, Jack Lewis and Walter Kershaw | Austrian Embassy in Sarajevo | Filmed for Bosnian TV |
| 1996 | After the Bomb | Arndale Centre, Manchester | Painted jointly with Gillian Halliwell | Arndale management and P&O | Manchester themed on temporary MDF shuttering to disguise bomb damage |
| 1997 | History of Ashton-under-Lyne | Shopping Centre, Ashton-under-Lyne | Painted jointly with Gillian Halliwell | Shopping centre management | |
| 2006 | Lancaster Bomber mural | Canteen, BAe Woodford, Cheshire | | | 60 feet x 20 feet |
| 2012 | Littleborough Coach House sign | Lodge Street, Littleborough | | | |
| 2014 | Lilac Mill mural | Beal Lane, Shaw | Assisted by Suzanne Robinson | JD Williams mail order company | For the 100 year anniversary of Lilac Mill |
| 2014 | Dulwich Outdoor Gallery mural | Bellenden Road / Choumert Road, Peckham | Painted jointly with Peter Seth | Dulwich Picture Gallery | |
| 2015 | North Woolwich mural | North Woolwich | Ingrid Beazley, Peter Seth and Richard Dent | Crossrail and The Richard Griffini Gallery | |

### Sculpture

In 1970 Kershaw was commissioned to design both the front and rear doors for a new Roman Catholic church in Longsight, Manchester. Cast in aluminium, they depicted the creation of the Universe and the Apocalypse. The doors were complemented by a stained glass window by fellow Rochdale artist Chris Burnett. Located at the intersection of Hamilton Road and Montgomery Road, the church of Saint Robert of Newminster was demolished in 2004.
Other pieces include:
* c.1964: Etruscan Warrior
* c.1967: Fantasy
* c.1968: Aurora (Glass-fibre resin)
* c.1969: West Pennine Woman (fibreglass)
* c.1969: Bodyrock (fibreglass)
* c.1969: Incandescent (cardboard and fibreglass)
* c.1970: Prime Cuts (fibreglass)

## Appearances
### Television and film

* 1974: (11 October) Featured in a segment by Martin Young for Nationwide, BBC One
* 1976: Terra Firma series on BBC Two. Half-hour documentary commissioned by BBC Two for Kershaw to paint a mural on a gable end in Deeplish, Rochdale
* 1976: The First Graffiti Artist. Half-hour documentary with fantasy interludes, on Kershaw's early murals. Produced and directed by Ian Potts, at that time a film student at the Polytechnic of Central London. Ian Potts now works in the Historical Film Department at the BBC in London. The film won best student film category at the Cannes Film Festival, (available from NW Film Archives in Manchester). Youtube
* Mid 70's: Guest appearance for Janet Street Porter when she was a presenter for LWT
* 1982: (19 October) Interviewed by Martin Henfield for BBC's regional Look North West programme
* 1982: (4 November) Guest appearance on Russell Harty's BBC Two chat show alongside Eric Morecambe
* 1982: (24 November) News report on BBC's Look North West about Kershaw who had been employed by Leigh Council to teach unemployed youngsters how to paint murals
* 1983: (20 April) News report on BBC's Look North West about Kershaw's mural at the Avro / BAe factory in Chadderton
* 1983: Featured on Rede Globo (Brazilian National TV)
* 1985: Film by Carlyle Video London shown on West German TV
* 1987: (12 February) 'City of Norwich' murals; part of the Folio series by Anglia TV, presented by Anne Gregg, directed by Michael Edwardes. Half-hour programme including Walter's assistant Ian Starsmore
* 1996: (February): Bosnian National TV as part of the annual Sarajevo Winter Festival
* 2013: (12 February) Featured on the BBC's The One Show in a segment with fellow Rochdalian Andy Kershaw

### Radio

* 1975: (10 October) Contributor on Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4
* 1983: (22 December) Guest on Sue MacGregor's Conversation Piece series for BBC Radio 4
* 2012: (13 September) Subject of a radio programme entitled 'Walter Kershaw: The UK's First Graffiti Artist?' on BBC Radio 4