The Redfern Gallery was founded in September 1923 on the top floor of Redfern House at 27 Old Bond Street, London W1, as a small artists' cooperative. The founders were two wealthy individuals Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham. A young New Zealander, Rex Nan Kivell, joined the gallery in 1925 and, in 1931, took control of the company. Other partners at this time included Lord Alington (who was killed during the war), Mrs Ala von Heisenau-Story (Director of the Santa Barbara Art Gallery, California) and The Earl Amherst, MC.
For many years Erica Brausen (later of Hanover Gallery), Peter Cochrane (later of Arthur Tooth & Sons) and Richard Smart were associated with the gallery.
Sir Rex de C Nan Kivell (as he then became) was joined by Harry Tatlock Miller in 1939, Dorothy Searle in 1942 and John Synge in the late 1950s.
In 1936 the gallery moved around the corner to larger premises at 20 Cork Street - just opposite the Burlington Arcade and behind the Royal Academy of Arts. The house which comprises 19/20 Cork Street was built in the early 18th Century. At that time it was the town house of John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and Redfern's main galleries are purportedly where the Earl used to play cards when he was in London. Due to its historical importance No 19/20 Cork Street is a listed building and Redfern is one of the few galleries in London to benefit from skylights.
Today the Redfern represents over 20 contemporary artists and artist's estates. It also has an extensive stock of modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, watercolours, sculpture and original prints.
The present Managing Directors are Richard Gault and Richard Selby. Other Directors include Maggie Thornton, The Lady Tanlaw and Peter Toynton. Lord Tanlaw is the Chairman of the Gallery.
A short history of The Redfern Gallery, with selected exhibitions
1924
'Original Works by a Group of Students of the Royal College of Art' included drawings and carvings by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
1936
Moved to 20 Cork Street reconstructed from the former town house of the Earl of Sandwich.
1937
An exhibition of French paintings included works by Bonnard, Boudin, Corot, Daubigny, Delacroix, Derian, Forain, van Gogh, Pissarro, Redon Renoir, Soutine, Vlaminck, Vuillard and Utrillo.
1938
Exhibition of the complete works of Christopher Wood
1941
One-man show of drawings and gouaches by Corot.
1942
Summer Exhibition included paintings by Bonnard, Boudin, Corot, Delacroix, Derain, Forain, van Gogh, Moore, Redon, Renoir Rouault, Soutine, Utrillo and Vlaminck along with original prints by Bonnard, Dalí, Dufy, Picasso Renoir and Vuillard.
1943
One-man show of paintings by Jankel Adler. One-man show of paintings, drawings and etchings by André Masson. Adrian Ryan's first one-man show at Redfern.
1946
One man show of Paul Delvaux [his first in London] and paintings and watercolours by Chagall, Gauguin, Klee, Pascin, Picasso, Rodin and Signac.
1948
An exhibition of the 'Miserere' series of Georges Rouault [the first public showing of this series anywhere].
1950
'Pointillists and Their Period' included works by Le Sidanier, Luce, Pissarro, Seurat, Signac, Valtat, Vignon, and Villon.
1951
One-man show of paintings by Sidney Nolan.
One-man show of paintings by Mané Katz.
1952
One-man show of paintings by Vieira da Silva 'Some Aspects of Dutch Painting' included paintings by Campendonk, Chabot, Doesburg, van Dongen, van Gogh and Mondrian.
1953
'The Redfern Gallery Coronation Exhibition:
Contemporary British Painting' included Bacon, Freud, Heath, Heron, Hitchens, Augustus John, Moore, Nash, Nicholson, Pasmore, Piper, Scott, Sickert, Spencer, Sutherland and Vaughan.
1953/54
'Russian Emigré Artists in Paris' included paintings by Chagall, Epstein, Jawlensky, Mané Katz and Soutine.
1957
'Metavisual, Tachiste, Abstract Painting in England Today' included Frost, Gear, Heath, Heron, Hilton, Lanyon, Nicholson, and Pasmore.
This exhibition travelled to Liège Belgium, where it was called 'Peinture Anglaise Contemporaine'.
1960
'Twelve Greek Artists': the first group exhibition of contemporary Greek artists to be held in London.
1961
One-man show of the Japanese artist Jun Dobashi [his first in London].
Retrospective exhibition of Paul Nash.
1962
'La Galerie de France à Londres' included paintings by Alechinsky, Campigli, Hartung, Magnelli, Manessier, Singier, Soulages and Zao Wou-ki.
1963
One-man show of paintings by the Chinese artist Cheong Soo Pieng.
Patrick Procktor's first one-man exhibition.
One-man show of paintings by Zao Wou-ki.
1965/66
Exhibition of artists who worked with l'Atelier Mourlot, Paris.
1966
Gouaches, etchings and lithographs by Serge Poliakoff.
Exhibition of Georges Rouault series:
'Le Miserere, La Guerre, Le Cirque de l'Etoile Filante, Passion, Les Fleurs du Mal and Les Réincarnations du Père Ubu'.
Exhibition of artists who worked with Maeght Editeur, Paris, included Calder, Chagall, Chillida, Giacometti, Miró and Ubac.
1967
One-man show of paintings, gouaches and graphics by Karel Appel.
First London exhibition of Picasso's complete 'Suite Vollard'.
1968
'Denise René à Londres' included paintings by Agam, Albers, Arp, Delaunay, Herbin, Mortensen and Vasarely.
Paul Wunderlich's first Redfern Gallery exhibition.
1978/79
'The Graphic Work of Georges Rouault 1871-1958' included 'Les Fleurs du Mal, Cirque de l'Etoile Filante Passion, Les Fleurs du Mal [en couleurs], Les Réincarnations du Père Ubu, Miserere, Maîtres et Petits Maîtres d'Aujourd'hui, Saltimbanques and Grotesques'.
1980
Redfern artist Patrick Procktor was the first contemporary European artist since the Cultural Revolution to be officially invited to go to China to paint.
The National Portrait Gallery commissioned Redfern artist Bryan Organ to paint a portrait of HRH The Prince Charles and, in 1981, Lady Diana Spencer [Diana, Princess of Wales].
1981
Exhibition of Chagall's 'Daphnis & Chloë' set of 42 lithographs in colour.
1983
Bryan Organ commissioned to paint portrait of President Mitterrand of France.
1988
Redfern Gallery Exhibition:
'65 Years of British Painting' at The Rotunda, One Exchange Square, Hong Kong.
1989
'Denise René Back in London Presents Her Artists 21 Years on': a second exhibition of the artists represented by Denise René Gallery, Paris.
1990
Summer Exhibition included paintings and drawings by Auerbach, Dalí, Dobashi, Doucet, Gear, Gris, Heath, Jenkins, Léger, Masson, Modigliani, Moore, Nicholson, Pasmore, Picasso, Tabuchi, Tàpies, Vasarely, Warhol, and Wunderlich.
1991
Exhibition of Three Catalan Painters:
Guinovart, Pijuan and Ràfols-Casamada.
Patrick Procktor exhibited at Galerie Coard, Paris.
1992
Exhibition of Monumental Prints by Antoni Tàpies toured to eight museums in the United Kingdom and Ireland, organised by the Redfern Gallery.
Three Artists, Three Decades' an exhibition of paintings by John Hoyland, Robyn Denny and Gwyther Irwin.
Exhibition of ceramics and drawings by Jean Coctean Pierre Lesieur's first one man show in Britain since 1961.
1993
Brendan Neiland's first Redfern Gallery Exhibition, subsequently toured to Reading College and The University of Brighton.
Patrick Procktor's exhibition at LeCadre Gallery, Hong Kong.
Book launch at The Redfern Gallery of a biography of Francis Bacon [Francis Bacon:His Life & Violent Times] by Andrew Sinclair.
1994
David Tindle's first Redfern Gallery exhibition, subsequently toured to St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, and The Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford.
Paul Emsley showed in Houston, Hong Kong And Madrid.
1995
Exhibition of architectural designs and furniture by Charles Jencks.
Debate at The Redfern between Jencks and the physicist Paul Davies.
Retrospective Exhibition of the work of Paul Wunderlich toured to four museums in Japan, organised by The Redfern Gallery.
Danny Markey's exhibition at The Charleston Gallery.80th Birthday Exhibition for William Gear RA.
Exhibition of linocuts by Cyril Edward Power in Nagoya and Tokyo: the first showing of British colour linocuts in Japan.
Bryan Organ commissioned to paint portraits of Sir Colin Cowdrey and Peter Carter-Ruck.
1996
'Modern Master Prints' and 'Contemporary British Painters' [including William Gear RA, Brendan Neiland RA, and David Tindle RA]:
two exhibitions organised by The Redfern Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Exhibitions of four Chinese Printmakers:
Liu Haiming, Xu Zhongmin, Wang Bing and Yu Qi Hui and linocuts by Katie Clemson, opened by the writer Jung Chang.
Paul Feiler's retrospective exhibition at The Tate Gallery, St. Ives.
Paul Emsley, Tom Hammick and Annabel Gault showed in New York.
Exhibition or recent work of Paul Wunderlich.
'The Brook Green School': works by Eileen Agar, Gertrude Hermes, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Henry Moore and Leon Underwood. |