Famous For: Leading artist and ground-breaking bohemian

"Gigantism is a disease"

Trivia: He was permitted to retain his beard while in the army, making him the only serving Allied Forces officer to be allowed to do so - apart, of course, from King George V.

Biography: Augustus and his artist sister Gwen, whose father was a local solicitor, were raised in Tenby. Both attended the Slade School of Art in London, and went on to become prominent artists.

Augustus' personality changed dramatically after he injured his head in a diving accident. He went from being a quiet and studious individual to a heavy-drinking, womanising, Bohemian. He grew a beard and took to wearing a gold earring, gipsy hat and scarf.

Throughout his life Romany culture had held a fascination for him. His love-life was as tumultuous as his artistic career - after marrying Ida in 1901, it was only three years before he met and fell in love with another woman. This new passion in his life was Dorothy McNeill (known as Dorelia), a friend and model of his sister Gwen. Dorelia became part of a 'menage-a-trois' with Augustus and his wife.

Dorelia became the subject of many of Augustus' paintings, including 'The Smiling Woman', which depicts her as a gypsy. The two developed a nomadic lifestyle, travelling around Wales in a horse-drawn caravan. In 1907 Ida died while giving birth to their fifth child - at which point Dorelia had also given birth to two of John's children.

Throughout his cosmopolitan life he was to father many more children by different mothers. At the beginning of the First World War Augustus was an officer in the Canadian army, and was given permission to paint on the Western Front. However, during this time it would seem that he managed very little actual painting, and after just two months his involvment in a brawl led to being sent home 'in disgrace'.

Augustus later attended the Versailles Peace Conference where he painted several of the delegates, and went on to become one of Britain's leading portrait painters. Among his subjects were Thomas Hardy, Dylan Thomas, George Bernard Shaw, Tallulah Bankhead and T E Lawrence. He achieved international notoriety when Lord Leverhulme returned a portrait to John minus its head because he was unhappy with its quality. This snub prompted protests throughout the world.
He was elected a Royal Academician in 1938, and won the Order of Merit in 1942. Augustus lived much of his later life in the south of England, and died on October 31, 1961.

Bronwyn Evans, Melbourne, Australia In answer to Christine John: My mother's maiden name was John and I have always been told our family was 'related to Augustus John', however I have been unable to establish the connection. Have you checked all the research done by Michael Holroyd who wrote Augustus John's biography? Fri May 18 12:07:50 2007 ann thurlow cumbria I have a small watercolour of Branscombe Devon which was purchased by my parents before the war. It is signed 'Dot John'. My mother told me she was Augustus John's daughter. Is this true? Sun Apr 29 16:01:52 2007 Rachael J Barman from Salisbury My mother was Christine Annette John and she always told us when we were younger that Augustus John was our Great Grandfather. I have absolutley no idea how true that is but I'd love to find out. I was born in 1962 just 8 months after Augustus died. Sat Mar 5 19:16:40 2005 Do you know of any stories about Augustus or his sister, during or after their time in Tenby? Are there any other artists from the region we should cover? Do today's local artists stand up to scrutiny? Your name, surname and location: (All these details MUST be included for publication) Comment: Your Email Address The BBC reserves the right to select and edit comments. Find out how to make sure your comments are published. To submit a larger contribution or if you require a response please contact us.