News and Events
| Stanley SpencerTalk - The Sacred and the (not so) Profane | Saturday, 31st July 2010. There will
be an evening talk at .Hedsor, near Cookham. The Sacred and the (not
so) Profane Ann Danks, Gallery Archivist, will talk about Spencer's religious work and this will be followed by a presentation about Spencer's time in Gloucestershire at the outbreak of the second world war with his lover Daphne Charlton. 7 pm St Nicholas Church Hedsor tickets Maura Carr on 01628 530181. |
The
Summer Exhibition 2010
The Summer
Exhibition 'Stanley and the first Mrs Spencer' was formally opened on
Saturday 10th April 2010 by Shirin and Unity Spencer. They spoke of their
childhood with their mother Hilda - the first Mrs Spencer. Several other
members of the family were also present - inlcuding Spencer's grandson
John. (picture) Local MP Theresa May. A great Spencer enthusiast - also
took time out of campainging for the General election.
The photo on the left taken at the official opening sows from left to right, Unity Spencer, Stuart Conlin Chairman of the Trustees of Stanley Spencer Gallery, Shirin Spencer, John Spencer, Unity’s son, and Rt Hon Theresa May MP.
Journey
to Burghclere
On Thursday
25th February 2010 Paul Gough came to the Spencer Gallery to talk about
his book ‘Journey
to Burghclere’ which looks at Spencer’s time as an official
war artist in World War I and his time in Salonika. Paul is a broadcaster,
painter and writer,and has exhibited in the UK and abroad.. As a broadcaster
he has presented art programmes on ITV and BBC2, and spoken frequently
on BBC Radio 4. He has also worked as a presenter and associate producer
on several documentaries.
Paul Gough's new book 'A
Terrible Beauty': War, Art and Imagination 1914-1918 is about
the work of Britain’s war artists, a subject which has been well
documented, but his penetrating survey throws new light on their motivations,
responses to the conflict and their unique, and widely varying, interpretations
of the effects on the combatants. Profusely illustrated, with many familiar
but also less familiar images. It gives new insights into the work of
the major and lesser-known artists of the First World War, including David
Bomberg, Muirhead Bone, Sidney Jones, Henry Lamb, Adrian Hill, Paul Maze,
John Nash, Paul Nash, Nevinson, Orpen, William Roberts, William Rothenstein,
Stanley Spencer, Harold Williamson and Wyndham Lewis (978-1-906593-00-1
SOFTBACK 336pp £29.99 available at Gallery).
BBC
The One Show Filmed with Giles Brandreth
Giles Brandreth
visited the Spencer Gallery on 23 February 2010 to film a story on Stanley
Spencer for The One Show (to be broadcast on March 1st 2010). He interviewed
author and art historian Patrick Wright, who co-curated the Spencer Exhibition
at the Tate Gallery and Joan George who last year published a book on
Spencer. They also filmed at Holy Trinity Church, the War Memorial and
Fernlea in the High Street, where Spencer was born.
David
Haycock Talks About his New Book
David
Haycock talked at the Spencer Gallery about his new book, "Crisis
of Brilliance" in October 2009 and then December. He is pictured
here signing his book. Crisis of Brilliance tells the story of Dora Carrington,
Mark Gertler, Paul Nash, Christopher Nevinson and Stanley Spencer, who
were five of the most important British artists of the twentieth century.
From diverse backgrounds they met at the Slade School of Drawing, Painting
and Sculpture in London between 1908 and 1910, in what their teacher,
Henry Tonks, later described as the School’s ‘last crisis of
brilliance.It’s not biography in the traditional sense at all but
a history of art, artists and their times and interestingly this is the
first time that there has ever been a study of these artists as a group.
David Boyd Haycock grew up in West Africa, East Anglia and North Yorkshire;
he read Modern History at St John’s College, Oxford, and Art History
at the University of Sussex, before studying for a PhD at Birkbeck College,
London. He worked in publishing, and as an archaeologist, before becoming
an academic historian and then a museum curator. His two areas of particular
interest are the intellectual history (broadly speaking) of the seventeenth
and eighteenth century, and the history of art in early to mid twentieth-century
Britain.
Fifty Years on Some Memories of Stanley Spencer
An anthology compiled, edited and updated by Joan George
Stanley
Spencer Remembered is not only an anthology of people's memories of
the artist it also provides a glimpse into mid-twentieth century social
history and its effects on Cookham, Stanley’s home and the inspiration
for much of his work. Joan George recalls how, following the artist's
death in 1959, determined villagers fought for a Memorial to him in Cookham-
a village in heaven – as he described it.
From modest beginnings selling postcards in the front room of Spencer's birthplace, readers are shown how the campaign escalated up the social ladder to Lord Astor, whose support the village gained for the conversion of a disused village hall into a permanent memorial gallery of the artist's works.
A great variety of some twenty people’s memories is enhanced by the insights of Spencer's two daughters and the compiler's own experience of her stormy interviews with the artist before finally gaining his trust and later friendship.
Ending with an open "letter to Stanley", the reader is led through a series of Spencer-orientated events between 1959 and 2009. The idea originated with Stanley's unusual compulsion to write frequently to his beloved first wife, Hilda, long after she had died.
Stanley Spencer Remembered aims to supplement more learned works by revealing the humorous, adaptable and sociable side of the artist, who on his own admission, had many "selves". The book includes photographs of the artist at work and in groups with family and friends. It shows how Spencer, with so many unfulfilled dreams, finally came to terms with reality in his own native village – Cookham
Taderon Press, London, 2009 92pp £6.00.
This book is available from the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham
This is the second book written by Joan George this year, Joan is 87.
Summer Has Officially Arrived in Cookham
Summer has officially arrived in Cookham! The Summer exhibition, ‘ Stanley Spencer and the River Thames’ was opened on Saturday 16 May by Dr Stephen Deuchar, Director Tate Britain. Calling Spencer ‘One of the most important figures in British art’ he said it was high time the Tate revisited his work and that he would be considering staging a major exhibition in the future. Asked recently to name his top ten paintings in the world he chose Swan Upping as one of them – the painting currently hangs in the gallery as one of four paintings on loan from the Tate. Calling the Gallery a ‘small but perfect’ shrine to Spencer’s works he said Spencer was important not only to Cookham but to England and the wider world, that we should cherish his ability to see miracles all around.
Dr Deuchar brought his young daughter Faith with him to Cookham, and they spent the morning walking round the village looking at the places which inspired the artist. Growing up in a small village herself Dr Deucher hoped that she too would understand that sense of place that was so important to
Spencer.
Among the other guests were Lord Astor, whose father was Spencer’s
patron, Unity Spencer his younger daughter, Theresa May MP and the Mayor
of Maidenhead Councillor Dorothy Kemp.
Also present were Friends of the Gallery and owners of many of the paintings
on loan to the gallery collection. Stuart Conlin, chair of the trustees
welcomed everyone and underlined how successful the refurbishment of the
gallery had been, and that more visitors than ever were now coming in
to the gallery. The Mayor and our local MP were then presented with baskets
of flowers made by Molly Hurley, one of the custodians.
A Spencer Collage for the Cookham Festival
For the Cookham Festival the Maidenhead Painting Club which meets on Thursday evenings at Holy Trinity School in School Lane Cookham produced a fantastic collage.
The subject was this fabulous version of Stanley Spencer's famous painting Swan Upping. It was created by Louise Wood and the Maidenhead Painting Club. A real work of art. which was done mainly by under 5s .
The collage was displayed on Cookham Moor on the final day of the Cookham Festival, May Day, 4 May 2009; where bands were playing, arts and crafts were being performed and displayed and people were there for a fun day out.
A Family of Artists
To
mark the 50th anniversary of Spencer’s death the Gallery welcomed
members of the Spencer family and their in-laws the Carlines on Thursday
30th April 2009. As part of the Cookham Festival a packed gallery heard
about the work of Stanley’s wife Hilda Carline, and that of her artistic
family. Called ‘A Family of Artists’ visitors were enthralled
to hear about the work of Hilda’s father, mother and two brothers.
They were all part of the group of friends who supported and inspired
Spencer. Taking part were Unity and Shirin Spencer, daughters of Stanley
Spencer and Hilda Carline and Francis and Hermione Carline, children of
Hilda’s brother Richard, who were accompanied by Flora Carline, Richards
grandaughter. Many of the images shown were of works normally kept in
private collections.
Picture caption: Francis Carline (left)and Unity Spencer (centre) talking to the audience about their family. Chrissy Rosenthal (right) took the chair
Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta
Last June the
Stanley Spencer Gallery were contacted by Kim Allen, a teacher at Comberton
Village College in Cambridgeshire. Kim said that she was currently embarking
on a large (8’ x 20’) mural project based on Christ Preaching
at Cookham Regatta. As this work was never completed, she felt it would
be inspiring to use it as a starting point for a mural. In her experience,
she felt that Stanley Spencer is under-used in schools because of the
complexity of his compositions and so there was a unique opportunity to
do something about it, working with 19 students for a week off timetable.
There were some changes after the original plans though, In the end they decided to do four panels of 6’ x 4’ so the complete mural is now 6’ x 16’, and several of the students who were going to be involved were away that week in the end, so only 14 took part.
Comberton Village College have their completed version of Christ Preaching at Cookham Regatta. Kim managed to get enough information together to produce the Stanley Spencer mural, which is now displayed outside the sports hall at Comberton Village College. Kim said "We had a fantastic time painting it, (14 students aged 12-13, working with Laura Chaplin, Carol Holburn and Kimberley Allen). It has had a lot of extremely positive feedback, from both staff and students.
The young people decided to write their initials on the hockey sticks, so the artists are acknowledged on the painting itself.
Happy Birthday Stanleyl
A wonderful celebration of Stanley Spencer's birthday took place on Sunday 29th June 2008 in the grounds of Holy Trinity church.
Cookham's world famous artist has always been popular with people coming from all over the country to see the Church and village that features in so many of his paintings.
The Stanley Spencer Gallery organised Sunday's open day, and people came to admire the flowers on his memorial, watch films of him at work in the Church, listen to Cookham's outstanding jazz band - the Fabulous Shirtlifters - see the bells that Stanley rang; see again the Hey Big Spencer and enjoy guided walks to many of his favourite places featured in his paintings.
Spencer Impresses Nathaniel
Seventeen year old Nathaniel Gliksman of Oswestry school, Shropshire,
recently visited the Stanley Spencer Gallery to see some of Stanley Spencer's
work. He also visited the Tate Gallery, Liverpool to see the Resurrection
in the exhibition there. He was so impressed he decided to paint his own
version for his recent A2 exam. The photo shows him working on it and
depicts the local church with his friends and himself.
Author Peter Ackroyd Films at the Gallery
It
was a busy day in the Spencer Gallery on Thursday 29th May because as
well as visitors there was filming in the afternoon.
Author Peter Ackroyd is making a four part documentary for ITV and Sky Arts about his recent book about the Thames – and of course a visit to the Gallery is a must! He spoke to the Gallery's curator Carolyn Leder, who can both be seen in the photo.
Peter Ackroyd's Thames will air from 07 August - at 20.00 (peak time!)
on ITV London. It will play on Sky Arts in September. The interview with
Carolyn appears in Episode 2 (14 August ITV London). I