Overview of Robert MacBryde

Painter and theatre set designer. Born in Maybole, MacBryde left school as soon as he could and went to work in a factory. He trained at the Glasgow School of Art where another painter, Robert Colquhoun (1914-62), was a class-mate. They became close friends, together known as the Two Roberts and their work was closely associated. They travelled in France and Italy before taking a studio in London.

MacBryde became a well known painter of the 'Modern' school of art, known for his brightly-coloured Cubist studies, a style which later evolved into brooding Expressionist works. These included still-lifes and landscapes. Together, MacBryde and Colquhoun designed several theatre sets in the 1940s, for example, for Gielgud's Macbeth, King Lear at Stratford and for the Scottish ballet Donald of the Burthens produced at Covent Garden for Sadler's Wells.

MacBryde died in Dublin following a street accident.