Alfred Wallis: An Artists’ Artist

Having started painting at the age of 70, Wallis captured the harbours, fishing boats and coastlines of Cornwall from memory, working on discarded cardboard, packaging and household materials. His bold compositions, flattened perspective and instinctive use of colour captivated artists including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Christopher Wood, Peter Lanyon and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, who recognised the originality of his vision. 

Bringing together Wallis’s paintings and works by artists who collected and championed him, this exhibition explores his lasting influence on modernist approaches to perspective, form, colour and composition, while celebrating a body of work that remains entirely unique. Curated by James Scott, it reveals why Alfred Wallis continues to be regarded as one of Britain’s most original artists.