Bawden, Ravilious & More: Busy Times in 2018

Eric Ravilious, Vicarage in Winter, 1935, private collection

I would like to say that it's All Systems Go here in south Bristol, but it's hard to get moving in January, isn't it? It's cold and the sky outside is so lacklustre it's not even properly grey. But it is getting lighter again, and the camping season is not far off...

Meanwhile, lot's going on. We're doing final proofing of the catalogue for 'Edward Bawden', which opens at Dulwich Picture Gallery in May. Designer Lucy Morton has done a fabulous job in bringing together so many disparate works to create a beautiful book which reflects the themes and aspirations of the exhibition perfectly. Bawden loved to create worlds, from tiny gardens populated by even tinier cats to giant maps filled with comic characters; close-ups in the book allow us to look at some of these properly, and of course visitors to the exhibition will be able to explore dozens of miniature worlds in person.

Slightly more work to be done still on my second exhibition of the year. This is 'Lover, Teacher, Muse... or Rival? Nine Artist Couples' and it opens at the Royal West of England Academy in June. It's a bit early for the official announcement, but there will be work by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, Mary Fedden and Julian Trevelyan, the Two Roberts, Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood and several others. It's partly an excuse to put lots of great pictures on the wall, but I hope it will be a thought-provoking show that gets people asking questions about the way artists influence and inspire each other, in sometimes difficult circumstances.

I'm also very busy this year compiling the catalogue raisonne of Eric Ravilious watercolours, to be published in 2019 by The Hedingham Press as 'Eric Ravilious: The Complete Watercolours'. There's lots of info about book and publisher on the website, so do have a look. We're currently calling on past and present owners of Ravilious works to come forward with any information they might have about the watercolours and their history - in the strictest confidence, of course. You can reach us via the website or at raviliouscatalogue@gmail.com.

And I'll be lecturing quite a lot over the next six months, so please look out for updates on this page. I'll add dates soon.

Happy New Year!