Michael Rothenstein was born in London, the youngest son of the painter Sir William Rothenstein. Michael’s early career began as a landscape watercolourist, but he developed into one of the foremost printmakers of his generation. In the 1920s he studied at the Chelsea and Central Schools of Art in London; but up to 1940 he suffered a debilitating illness that impeded his work. In 1940 he was commissioned by The Pilgrim Trust to produce records of areas in Britain for the Recording Britain project. After the foundation of his studio in Essex, he established a career as a print maker who mastered numerous techniques, from linocuts to screen printing and etching. His work was exhibited and published internationally, including shows in New York, Tokyo and Vienna. In 1977 he was elected President of the Printmakers Council, and in 1983 was elected a Royal Academician. He died in Braintree, Essex at the age of eighty-five.
