Draft:Cecile Elstein

• Comment: This draft is virtually unreferenced. What might seem an exception at first glance is the sentence
  Trained at [[Hornsey College of Art]] and a studio pupil of Surrealist artist [https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/catherine-yarrow-17410 Catherine Yarrow], Elstein was also deeply influenced by philosophical and literary thought, particularly Martin Buber’s ''I and Thou''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ravenscroft |first=Simon |title=An analysis of Martin Buber's I and thou |date=2018 |publisher=Macat International Ltd |isbn=978-1-912453-61-0 |series=The Macat library |location=London}}</ref> and Albert Camus’s ''The Myth of Sisyphus''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Camus |first=Albert |title=The myth of Sisyphus |last2=Camus |first2=Albert |date=2005 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-102399-1 |series=Great ideas |location=London}}</ref>
  The link for Yarrow doesn't mention Elstein. (What makes it worse is that (i) the linked-to page merely recycles material from Wikipedia; (ii) even if the linked-to page did describe the relationship between the two artists, the placement of the link would be wrong.) The reference following the Camus title is merely to an edition of his book, which will say nothing about Elstein. I can't be bothered to search for a copy of An analysis of Martin Buber's I and thou and then to look through its index, but somehow I have trouble imagining that it talks about Elstein.
  Every assertion must be referenced, to a reliable source. Hoary (talk) 22:55, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

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Cecile Elstein (1938–2025)

Sculptor, Printmaker, Environmental Artist

Cecile Elstein (née Hoberman) was a South African-born British artist whose career spanned over six decades, encompassing sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and environmental installation. Born in Cape Town in 1938, she moved to England in 1961 with her husband, Max Elstein; later Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Manchester, seeking to leave behind the apartheid regime. After living in London and Southampton during the 1960s and 70s, the couple settled in Manchester in 1977, where Cecile would become an influential and prolific presence in the city’s artistic and cultural life.

Trained at Hornsey College of Art and a studio pupil of Surrealist artist Catherine Yarrow, Elstein was also deeply influenced by philosophical and literary thought, particularly Martin Buber’s I and Thou and Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus. These existential and dialogic frameworks informed both her art and her approach to life. Her works often explored the boundaries between self and other, memory and landscape, ritual and renewal.

Elstein’s practice was materially experimental and intellectually grounded. She collaborated closely with master printmaker Kip Gresham for over three decades, from the Manchester Print Workshop in the 1980s through to his Cambridge studio in 2019. Her prints and sculptures are held in numerous public and private collections in the UK and abroad, including the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Cathedral, the Alsager Gallery in Crewe, and the Pitcairn Gallery in Knutsford. She was a prizewinner at the 9th British International Print Biennale in Bradford and represented Britain at the Singapore Festival of Arts.

Notable public works include Ner Tamid (Everlasting Light) at Menorah Synagogue in Gatley; a bronze portrait of music critic Michael Kennedy at the Royal Northern College of Music; and a collaborative sundial in Marie Louise Gardens, Didsbury (with artist Tam Giles).

Cecile was also an active community facilitator. From 2001 to 2021, she co-led Didsbury Drawing, a weekly life-drawing group guided by the philosophy of non-interference, alongside textile artist Margaret Crowther. A longtime member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil), Cecile and Max joined in 1994, with Max later serving as a vice-president.

Elstein continued to work from her home studio later in life, returning to smaller-scale works that reflected her enduring interest in form, light, and relationality. She died on 2 March 2025, aged 86. She was predeceased by her son Paul in 1998 and is survived by her husband Max, daughter Maureen, three grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Solo Exhibitions

• 1976 – Hiscock Gallery, Portsmouth
• 1979 – Selective Eye Gallery, St Helier, Jersey
• 1981 – Derwent College, University of York
• 1981 – Netherbow Arts, Edinburgh
• 1982 – Alsager Gallery, Alsager College, Crewe
• 1984 – Pitcairn Gallery, Knutsford
• 1985 – Pitcairn Gallery, Knutsford
• 1988 – The Clare Hall Gallery, Cambridge
• 1988 – Casabella Gallery, Manchester
• 1991 – A Printmaking Partnership - Cecile Elstein and Kip Gresham, Whitworth Art Gallery
• 2023 – Sisyphus Suite – Cecile Elstein, Alephi Gallery, Salford University Gallery, Salford, Manchester

Mixed Exhibitions

• 1974 – Exhibition, Bolderwood Gallery, Southampton
• 1975 – Free Painters Society, Loggia Gallery, London
• 1980 – ‘Notation’, plaster block print, Manchester ORT, Manchester Cathedral
• 1980 – Southampton Art Gallery, Civic Centre
• 1980 – Trends, Free Painters Society, London. Screen Prints from the Sisyphus Suite: ‘Thanatos’, ‘Passion’, ‘Construction’, ‘Confrontment’
• 1980–1984 – Various exhibitions with the Chilford Hall Press with Kip Gresham
• 1981 – Gallery 273, Queen Mary College, London. Screen Prints Sisyphus Suite
• 1980s – Society of Portrait Sculptors in London, Hampstead Artists, Manchester Academy, Tuft’s Collection of Fine Prints, Alsager/Massachusetts
• 1983–1984 – Meetings, Mini Print International Cadaques, Spain
• 1984 – Exhibition on Art in Jewish Ritual, London
• 1985 – Meeting, Mini-print, Carbo Frio International Brazil
• 1985 – Royal Academy, ‘Poem of Catherine’ accepted
• 1985 – Society of Portrait Sculptors
• 1985 – International Print Biennale Cadeque, Spain
• 1986 – Seoul International Print Biennale, Seoul
• 1986 – 127th Annual Open Exhibition, Manchester Academy of Fine Art
• 1988 – Chilford Hall Press, New Prints and Modern Master Graphics From the Press, Heffer Gallery, Cambridge
• 1988 – Selected ArtWorks from Jewish Artists, The Portico Library and Gallery, Manchester and Ben Uri Gallery, London
• 1988 – ‘Together’ mini print, in Mini Print International Travelling Show, Chateau Royal De Collioure, France
• 1993 – A Summer Exhibition by Northern Artists, Barn Gallery, Portland Street
• 2000 – On Broadway, Manhattan, New York Artist Debut. Screenprints – ‘Sisyphus Suite’, ‘Open House’, ‘Evening Meeting’, organised by Christie-Wild International
• 2009–2023 – Open House Studio exhibitions during the Didsbury Arts Festival, Cecile Elstein’s Studio and House

Awards

• 1983–1985 – Worked with the Manchester Art and Technology Workshop, winning an Arts Council Bursary Award for a design for a pneumatic structure – Mandarah with Terry Scales. Exhibited at Singapore Festival of Arts 1986, representing Britain.
• 1986 – ‘Noon Meeting’ screenprint, Prize Winner at 9th British International Print Biennale, Sericol Colour Prize, Cartwright Hall, Lister Park, Bradford ----

Publications and Mentions

• 1988 - Arts Review, 21st October, p272
• 1995 - John Garfield, ‘Impressions II’ ‘Another Pygmalion’ - experience of having a portrait made by Elstein p70-p72
• Hyde, S., 1997. Exhibiting Gender. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp.31, 81–83.
• 2004 - 2005 - Manchester Memoirs, Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, Vol 143, p66 -p71
• Rose, J. and Levy, W.J., 2006. A colourful canvas. pp.6–19.
• 2011 - Hedwig Brenner, ‘Judische Frauen in der bildenden Kunst IV’, p49-p50