Arthur Robert (Ridgen) Read was born in Bermondsey, London, UK in 1879.  His father, Arthur Rigden Read and his mother Elizabeth Read had 5 boys.  Arthur Robert adopted his father’s middle name “Rigden.”

Read lived for a while in the Dower House, Winchelsea, Sussex.  He traveled to Japan at some point where he probably began his interest with color woodcut.  He was supposedly awarded a gold medal for his help during a major tragedy, probably the 1923 earthquake.

Read is recorded as exhibiting between 1923 and 1940, including at 16 times at the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts, 9 times at the Royal Academy, 8 times at the Walker Gallery, Liverpool and at the Redfern Gallery, the Beaux Arts Gallery and others.

Online references state in the Colour Print Club Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1,1931 he is listed as the first member and as a vice-president of the club together with, William Giles, Sidney Lee, William Monk, Allen W. Seaby, Y. Urushibara and E. A. Verpilleux. He is also listed as a Member of the Society of Graver-Printers in Colour.

His woodcut "Roses" is illustrated in the 1927 book "The Woodcut of To-Day at Home and Abroad" page 46 by the art critic Malcolm C Salaman.

His work is in numerous museum collections.  Arthur Rigden Read died in 1955.