Lurot Brand is proud to have a unique gallery of portraits of mews houses created over several decades by artist Doris Hope Lurot Betjeman, the mother of founder Antoine Lurot. Painted in a variety of media, from ink to oils, the works capture the distinctive character of London’s mews in all their infinite variety.

Doris was born in Paris in 1915, the daughter of a French mother and an English tea merchant, Arthur Betjeman. Arthur’s brother had a son named John – the future Poet Laureate. She attended art school in Düsseldorf in 1931, before enrolling at the world-famous École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris the following year.

In 1937, the Paris gallery of Jean Charpentier held her first solo exhibition. Highly acclaimed by critics and the national press, the exhibition was a sell-out. The following year, she was commissioned by the British Embassy in Paris to paint a portrait of Sir Robert Cahill, ‘Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps’ and Commercial Councillor to the Embassy.

In 1939, she was invited to exhibit three paintings at the Salon des Artistes Français and was subsequently awarded the prestigious Médaille d’Or by the Société Lorraine des Beaux-Arts for one of her works. That same year, she married and divided her time between Paris and Varengeville in Normandy.

In 1949, Doris exhibited at the Salon for a second time, where she was again honoured, this time receiving the Prix de la Savoie from the Ministère de la Culture. With this honour, she was also granted permanent membership as a sociétaire of the Salon.

In 1956, she painted her first portrait of her cousin, the poet John Betjeman, at his home in Wantage. The following year, she was commissioned by the Spanish Royal Family to paint a portrait of Don Jaime of Spain. In 1960, she moved to London with her two children and continued to undertake prestigious commissions, including a second portrait of Sir John Betjeman, which has since been bequeathed to his old school, Marlborough College.

Her portraits, landscapes, still lifes and nudes can be found in private collections around the world.

From the company’s foundation, Doris was regularly commissioned to produce images of mews streets and houses. We’re proud to continue displaying her work in our offices and using these remarkable works of art to celebrate and promote this fascinating and unique house style. Doris Hope Lurot Betjeman died in March 2012, aged 96.