Tulips

Sheringham was born in London and studied at the Slade under Henry Tonks and later in Venice, Brussels, Berlin and Paris where he held his first one-man exhibition in 1905. On his return to London he initially supported himself with poster designs and teaching. His first exhibition of fan designs was held at the Ryder Gallery in 1909 followed by another in the following year. With enthusiastic reviews in Studio he had launched his career as a decorative designer, theatrical designer and illustrator. He illustrated books by Max Beerbohm and Cyrus MacMillan. In 1921 he collaborated with his brother Hugh on a book about fishing, The Book of the Fly Rod. He wrote Drawing in Pen and Pencil (1922), with James Laver, Design in the Theatre (1927) and with Rupert Mason and R Boyd Morrison he edited Robes of Thespis, Costume Designs by Modern Artists (1928). As a decorator, Sheringham designed the music room at 40 Devonshire House, the ballroom at Claridge’s Hotel and the Paris Exhibition of 1937. He was one of the first recipients of the Royal Designers for Industry distinction in 1937. He designed scenery and costumes for ballets, opera and the theatre, working closely with the actor-manager Nigel Playfair and for the D’Oyly Carte. A memorial exhibition was held at the Leicester Galleries in 1938. Works by him are in the collections of the Tate Gallery, British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and elsewhere.