ROBERT BROADLEY 1908, born in Waterfoot, Lancashire, England 
(Deceased 1988)  

Portrait, Landscape and Figure Painter  

This collection, the property of Helmut Dries---, a friend of Robert Broadley contains some of the artist’s less formal work. One has a sense that each work was carefully selected, that the artist was able to share a moment of pleasure, a heightened awareness of what lay before with the viewer. The small watercolours and line and wash studies of the cape and foreign harbours, beaches and street scenes were painted on day trips. The portraits in oil were probably completed in the 40s & 50s. There is one of Miss Cynthia Cooper who later became Miss England in a beauty contest, another of ‘lady’ in dishabille holding a brandy glass, a girl on Clifton Beach with a floral skirt. And then there are life drawings – each nude delicately portrayed has a character of her own. Broadley’s line and brush work is sure, each work is sure, well composed and captuers a mood. 

1908 
Born in Waterfoot, Lancashire, England./Esme Berman states he was born in Manchester, Uk.

1923 – 1926 
Studied at the Victoria School of Art in Southport, Lancashire and in London and was well known at the time as an amateur golfer.

1926 
Immigrated to South Africa and worked on his father’s sheep farm in Cradock for three years before moving to Cape Town.

1929 – 1936 
Played international amateur and professional golf for South Africa.

1936 – 1956 
Retired from golf and returned to painting full time with studios in Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. During this period he also traveled and lived in France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the Canary Islands; work from time spent as an unofficial war artist now hangs in the South African National War Museum, Johannesburg and the South African National Gallery; Cape Town.

1956 -1964 
Settled in Spain, initially in Mallorca and later in Perillo near Coruna, Galicia; he also spent time in Portugal, Madrid, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo in North West Spain.

1964 
Returned to Cape Town and to his studio in Church Square.

1973 
Painting trip to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

1974 
Returned to Cape Town, where he has since lived and where he has continued to work.