Born Ince-in-Makerfield 1875 – Died Warrington 1963

Ernest James Gerrard is a recent rediscovery after 32 of his artworks came up at auction in England in 2025. They found their way to Switzerland and under the guidance of Phillippe Eternod several have been placed in prominent collections throughout Europe.

Gerrard was born in 1875 in Ince-in-Makerfield (Lancashire) and died in 1963 in Appleton (a suburb of Warrington). He is buried in Warrington Cemetery.

Gerrard worked as an engineer/technician in the Lancashire steel industry and settled down in Lovely Lane, Warrington with his wife Mary Ann and daughter Enid. Family reports note that Ernest was a collector of antiques, a watcher of the stock market and an accomplished linguist. He could read Latin, Greek and Arabic and taught himself French and German.

There are no reports why Gerrard became a spiritualist and a drawing medium, but his wife died in 1919 which coincided with the period in which his earliest works were created. Aside from the figurative and abstract forms, his art also shows evidence of unusual mirror writing and backwards script which he said was only possible under spirit control. A form of automatism not often found in mediumistic writing and drawing.

If anyone has knowledge of Ernest please get in touch – vivienne@vivienneroberts.com

This is the first known exhibition of his works where three will be on display from 1926-43

Image show Armour, 1926