Robert Colquhoun was born in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. After leaving school he was first apprenticed at an engineering firm, but in 1929 he was awarded a scholarship to Glasgow School of Art, mainly through the support of his school teacher, James Lyle. At college, Colquhoun met fellow painter, MacBryde and the two became lifelong lovers. In 1940, Colquhoun was called up to serve in the Royal Army Medical Corps, but a year later he left the army because of cardiac problems. Colquhoun and MacBryde set up a studio in London, which they shared with the artist, John Minton, and which soon established itself as a popular meeting place for artists, writers and poets. After the war, Colquhoun and MacBryde moved to Lewes in Sussex and collaborated on lithographic projects. In the 1950s they produced sets and costumes for numerous ballet and theatre productions in London. Both Colquhoun and MacBryde were sociable characters who were more often than not present at the most fashionable parties in London. However, by 1959, Colquhoun’s health had deteriorated severely and in 1962 he died of heart disease.
