Exhibition of Alfred Janes's work from the Glynn Vivian Permanent Collection and private loans, with a talk and book launch by Dr Ceri Thomas.
Alfred Janes, Maker of Pictures is running at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery from Friday 16 October 2026 through to Sunday 3 January 2027. It's a look back at the work of Alfred Janes (1911–1999), a Swansea-born artist who started out at the Swansea School of Art before moving on to the Royal Academy Schools in London. He was part of the city's 'Kardomah Gang', so he ran in the same circles as Dylan Thomas, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones.
His early career was interrupted by the Second World War, but he went on to build a practice that didn't stick to one thing. He worked across portraiture, still life, collage, ceramics and relief work, and shifted his materials from oil and pastel to paper and perspex. From 1963 until he died, he lived and worked in London, teaching at Croydon College of Art alongside artists like Bridget Riley. He famously described himself not as a painter but as 'a maker of pictures'.
The exhibition pulls from the Gallery's Permanent Collection and loans from private collections, and it includes ephemera and photographs alongside the artwork. It's also tied to a new book by art historian and curator Dr Ceri Thomas, published by Parthian Books on 20 November 2026. If you're interested in that, there's a talk and book launch with Dr Thomas on Friday 20 November, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
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Entry is free and everyone's welcome, though booking is essential. The gallery is at the Glynn Vivian, Swansea, SA1 5DZ.
