Exhibition

John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey

28 Oct 2023 – 21 Apr 2024

Regular hours

Saturday
10:00 – 16:00
Sunday
11:00 – 16:00
Tuesday
10:00 – 16:00
Wednesday
10:00 – 16:00
Thursday
10:00 – 16:00
Friday
10:00 – 16:00

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Pallant House Gallery

Chichester, United Kingdom

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Travel Information

  • Chichester Railway Station is a few minutes walk from Pallant House Gallery. There are many direct links from London Victoria, Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Gatwick Airport. Trains to London Waterloo connect at nearby Havant.
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Take a journey out of the shadows of wartime Britain and emerge amongst the sun-lit landscapes of Greece and its vibrant people.

About

This retrospective will follow the works of celebrated British Romantic artist, John Craxton R.A. (1922–2009); from his melancholic images of poets within brooding landscapes created in Britain in the early 1940s, to the radiant paintings and drawings inspired by his adopted homeland in the Mediterranean.

The development of his work reveals Craxton’s experiences of confinement and exile, his personal liberation as a gay man, and his celebration of travel and colour, all set within the historical context of mid-century Britain and Greece. Inspiration taken from Greek archaeology, mythology and Byzantine mosaics shines through his art, as do affinities with acquaintance Pablo Picasso and, youthful best friend, Lucian Freud.

Marking the rebellious twists and turns in his life, the exhibition will showcase glorious paintings, poetic drawings, book cover illustrations, ceramics, dynamic theatre set designs, and rarely seen pieces from the Craxton Estate.

Shown for the first time alongside this exhibition, contemporary artist Tacita Dean will present Crackers (2023), a new two screen film projection which she recently created in Crete as a musing on her friendship with the artist.

Craxton’s versatility will be set within the context of some of his contemporaries in a separate display of pieces from the Gallery’s collection. Selected by contemporary artist Jake Grewal, this exhibit will include works by Graham SutherlandKeith Vaughan, John Piper, Paul Nash and John Minton.

A new illustrated catalogue will be available alongside this exhibition, with contributions from David Alan Mellor, Sir David Attenborough, Edmund White, Hilary Spurling, Ian Collins, Miriam O’Connor Perks, Simon Martin and Tacita Dean.

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Exhibiting artistsToggle

John Craxton

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