Michael McGuinness

• Born 1935 · Died 2016

Born and educated in Essex, Michael McGuinness studied illustration at the S.E. Essex School of Art. In the early 1960s he joined The Observer Newspaper and Magazine as Artist/Designer and then went on to Readers Digest as Art Editor for Special Projects. During the 1970s he freelanced as an illustrator and designer, had a solo show of paintings and drawings in London, was elected to The New English Art Club, showed oils and watercolours at the Royal Academy Summer Shows, and was Senior Design Editor at Mitchell Beazley. In 1986 he joined The Independent as Deputy Art Editor and then as Art Editor. In 1989 he was elected as a member of the Royal Watercolour Society and has shown regularly at the Bankside Gallery since then. He has also shown at Christie’s and in the touring show in Spain. McGuinness was selected by Bernard Dunstan for the Directors’ Choice exhibition at the New Academy in London, and two books were published to which he contributed. The Encyclopedia of Watercolour techniques, The New Guide to Illustration, for which he wrote a chapter on the use of illustration of newspapers. In 1993 he was invited to design the Colour Magazine for the relaunch of The Observer, and was with them until the late spring of 1994. In the Autumn of 1994 he joined The Independent and Independant on Sunday as Head of Design and Graphics.