News and Events

EVENTS 2010
Sargent, Sickert, Spencer (.pdf file)	8 December 2009 – 5 April 2010 The Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB OPEN: Tuesday - Saturday: 10.00 - 17.00 Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays: 12.00 - 17.00 Closed Mondays, Good Friday and 24-26 & 31 December and 1 January ADMISSION FREE http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/
Talk - Journey to Burghclere	Thursday 25th February 2010 7.30pm - At Spencer Gallery - Paul Gough talks about his book ‘Journey to Burghclere’ which looks at Spencer’s time as an official War artist in WW1 and his time in Salonika. (tickets £5.00). Tickets need to be booked in advance through Maura Carr on 01628 530181
A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War	Friday 26th February 2010 7.00pm - David Boyd Haycock will be giving an illustrated talk on his new book which discusses the lives and work of Stanley Spencer, Dora Carrington, Paul Nash, Mark Gertler & CRW Nevinson. Questions and signing afterwards. The Three Swans Hotel, 117 High St, Hungerford at 7pm. Tickets £5 from The Hungerford Bookshop - call 01488 683480 http://www.hungerfordbooks.co.uk/
The Burghclere Murals	Wednesday 24th March 2010 7.30pm - At Spencer Gallery - Revd Stephen Bushell looks at the Burghclere murals and , with reference to Spencer’s writings and letters aims to discover his spiritual vision. (tickets £5.00). Tickets need to be booked in advance through Maura Carr on 01628 530181
Winter Exhibition Closes	Sunday 28th March 2010 - WINTER EXHIBITIION CLOSES
Summer Exhibition Opens	Thursday 1st April 2010 -SUMMER EXHIBITION OPENS TO PUBLIC: "Stanley and the First Mrs Spencer"
The Paintings of the Summer Exhibition	Tuesday 13th April 2010 7.30pm - At Spencer Gallery - Art Historian Carolyn Leder ‘walks’ us through the paintings in the exhibition. (tickets £5.00). Tickets need to be booked in advance through Maura Carr on 01628 530181.
Spencer's Last Years in Cookham	Thursday 27th May 2010 7.30pm - At Spencer Gallery - Carolyn Lucas (née Boxer) is the daughter of one of the founders of the Gallery and talks about Spencer’s last years in the village with this very personal recollection. (tickets £5.00). Tickets need to be booked in advance through Maura Carr on 01628 530181.

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