In his relatively short lifetime Len Annois (1906-1966) was acknowledged as having few – if any – rivals as a watercolourist in the English tradition.
Born in Malvern Victoria, Annois trained at the NGV school and took travel studies in Europe during the 1930s. He became a member of the Royal Watercolour Society in London (whose sole criterion when inviting an artist to join is the extremely high quality of the artist’s work). He also studied fresco painting in Italy, subsequently completing some major fresco commissions.
Many awards and prizes included Ballarat, Bendigo, Albury, Melbourne (Dunlop – twice), Adelaide, Sydney (Wynne Prize For Watercolours), and the VAS prize for watercolours. He also twice won the highly-contested Crouch Prize for watercolours in 1949 and 1950.
Annois is represented in State and regional collections, including the NGV and the National Gallery Canberra. Also represented in numerous overseas private and corporate collections.
References:
McCulloch, Alan and Susan. Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 3rd Edition, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1994. Page 45
Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 279.