Exhibition showcasing 26 vibrant paintings by pioneering female artist Gillian Ayres, spanning seven decades of her creative practice.
The Box opens a new exhibition, Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour, on 4 July, bringing together 26 paintings by the pioneering British artist. It runs through to 4 October, so there's plenty of time to catch it over the summer. The selection spans seven decades of her work, from the early pieces she painted in the 1950s to the ones she produced at her home in rural North Devon during the 1990s and 2000s.
Among the 26 paintings are Brown, White, Black, Red (1957) and the Hampstead Murals from the late fifties, alongside Harlyn Bay and Sang the Sun in Flight (2009). It's a wide stretch of time to see in one room, and it lets you trace how her work shifted over the years. Ayres (1930–2018) was known for her energetic brushwork, her rich use of colour, and a fearless way of experimenting that she stuck with throughout her career.
She came of age in a post-war British art world that was heavily dominated by men, and she spent her life working within and against that. Beyond the studio, she was a significant figure in arts education, serving as the first female Head of Art at Winchester Art College from 1978 to 1981. The recognition followed: she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1989, elected to the Royal Academy in 1991, and appointed a CBE in 2011. Her work is held in major collections including Tate, the British Museum, MoMA in New York, and the National Gallery of Australia.
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Much of her later work was inspired by the landscapes of South West England, where she lived from 1987 until her death, and that connection comes through in the monumental pieces she produced there. The exhibition is free to all, and you can find it at The Box, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AX, from 4 July to 4 October.
