Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris

Gwen John’s work is both instantly recognisable and era-defining. She is known for the quiet strength of the solitary women in her portraits and the reflective stillness of her interiors. But for decades she was overshadowed by her famous brother Augustus and often portrayed as a recluse. This exhibition expeled this myth and re-examined the significance of John’s work alongside her fellow international modernists.

Gwen John defied convention to forge her own, independent existence. She trained at the progressive Slade School of Fine Art, then one of the few art schools that were accepting women on the same terms as men. She chose to make her life and work within the heady art worlds of London and Paris amid a rich cultural circle that included James McNeill Whistler and her lover, Auguste Rodin. This exhibition was the story of a progressive trailblazer and of an artist, devoted to her craft and at the forefront of modern art in the early 20th century.

Curated by Alicia Foster in partnership with Pallant House Gallery.

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The exhibition will be on tour at the Holburne Museum, Bath from 21 October 2023.

★★★★☆ “John emerges from this fascinating show as a much odder, more interesting and more radical artist than I’d imagined.”

Mark Hudson, Independent

“One of my shows of the year. John emerges as a soulful, inventive, brilliant presence.”

Waldemar Januszczak, The Times

“It lends new perspective to her portraits of women, of models in plain clothes, convalescents and nuns. They are works of control, self-knowledge and immense feeling.”

Harriet Baker, Apollo

“This little show is a treat. And did I mention the cat paintings? Heavenly.”

Hettie Judah, The i