Richmond regretfully announces the death of former Professor of Fine Art Dr. Ralph Lillford
Dr. Lillford taught drawing and painting at the Richmond Hill campus for 15 years until his retirement in 2000.
Ralph was a graduate of the Royal College of Art and was an artist of great talent. He notably documented ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland for over a decade and later was the only artist permitted to work in the deep excavations of the Channel Tunnel. He made major bodies of work in Russia, Greece, India and Spain as well as the UK and his paintings and drawings are represented in numerous international museums. There are significant collections of his work in The National Army Museum and London’s Science Museum. Dr. Lillford earned his PhD for devising a methodology for establishing the sequence of the frequently reprinted engravings of William Hogarth through identifying the gradual degradation of the printing plates.
Ralph emigrated to Australia after his retirement from Richmond and worked actively there until a series of strokes gradually debilitated him. He passed away on 10th October 2019.
Many alumni will remember Dr. Lillford as an insightful and astute teacher, possessed of both a strong sense of artistic discipline and unfailing good humour. Students and faculty colleagues alike were inspired by his energy, resoluteness and enviable artistic skills.
