Allan Walton was educated at Harrow School and initially studied architecture which he later abandoned for art. He studied under Stanhope Forbes in Cornwall before joining the Slade School of Fine Art followed by the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris and finally at the Westminster School of Art under Walter Sickert.
He exhibited throughout his life including at the Beaux Arts Gallery, Arthur Tooth Gallery and the Leicester Galleries. He also contributed to the London Group of Artists exhibitions, of which he was elected a member in 1925.
In addition to his life as painter, Walton was also very active in textile design. In 1931, he established Allan Walton Textiles with his brother which pioneered new ground in printed cloth designs and promoted designs by his London Group colleagues, notably Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Frank Dobson. As a result of his prominence in this field, he was elected one of the first Royal Designers for Industry.
In his later years he bought Hill House, Shotley as his country house. He exhibited regularly at the Ipswich Art Club in the 1940s including works entitled, Bawdsey Shrimper, The Deben at Woodbridge and The Orwell.
Walton was director of the Glasgow School of Art 1943-1945 and in 1948 appointed professor of design at the Royal College of Art but died before he could take up the position.
His work can be found in public collections throughout the UK including the Colchester and Ipswich Museums Collection and Manchester City Art Gallery.
Source: Suffolk Artists Website