The International Context of the Art of St Ives 1948-60
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: History of Art
Abstract
This collaborative PhD takes as its focus the encounters between British artists associated with the artists' colony in St Ives and the abstract art being produced internationally in the period 1948-60. This is the period when a new generation of artists shaped by the war emerged from the shadow of the masters of the pre-war period such as Picasso, Braque and Matisse, and before the dominance of American Abstract Expressionism was secured as the hegemonic movement of post-war painting.
While there are many different types of encounter on which the research might focus, its essential ingredient is the empirical investigation of the direct experience of British artists of the work of their counterparts in mainland Europe or America, whether that be in the form of the actual presence in Britain of certain artists and their work, the availability of publications in which they were discussed or British artists' travels to particular sites of encounter, such as the Venice Biennale.
The necessity of this study is to counteract the prevailing tendency to isolate the practice of St Ives artists within national boundaries and position it as derivative of American painting. The influence of American Abstract Expressionism and anxieties thereof are well established components in accounts of St Ives, not least because of the high-profile attacks on American critics' supposed nationalistic bias launched in the early 1970s by Patrick Heron, a St Ives protagonist. However, little research has ever been done on exactly what contact there was between St Ives artists and the work of the Americans.
The context for the research project is the refurbishment of Tate St Ives which will be relaunched in 2014 with an exhibition on the art of St Ives curated by Chris Stephens, Head of Displays at Tate Britain and leading scholar in the field. The exhibition will also be shown at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. The PhD project will feed directly into the exhibition by establishing new connections and contexts for the art on display. The conceptual configuration of the exhibition is still very much in the making and the aspiration is for the student to help devise themes for particular rooms, take part in the selection of works, write for the catalogue and contribute to the interpretation of the exhibition more widely.
While Abstract Expressionism has come to dominate histories of post-war painting, at the time it was not recognised as significantly distinct from continental European practice which was better and more immediately known in Britain. After the war, British artists inevitably looked to developments in Paris. At the same time, emerging Parisian artists were exhibited in London. Similarly, British artists would have seen new forms of painting developing in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain and Germany. 'L'art autre', 'art informel' and the work of CoBrA artists were known before that of the Americans. Yet, there are still few Anglophone studies of post-war European painting and none examining its profile among and impact upon British artists.
The PhD student will be able to utilise the wealth of resources at Tate, both visual and written to rectify this situation. Tate Archive holds extensive collections of papers of the leading St Ives figures, such as Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Terry Frost, as well as those of British artists more commonly known to have associated with the European avant-garde such as William Gear and Stephen Gilbert and leading historians and critics of the period. In addition, Tate Library has unrivalled holdings of relevant exhibition catalogues, journals and ephemera. At stake in the research project is not simply the status of British art in the post-war period but a proper understanding of the cultural connections and dynamics of art production in th
While there are many different types of encounter on which the research might focus, its essential ingredient is the empirical investigation of the direct experience of British artists of the work of their counterparts in mainland Europe or America, whether that be in the form of the actual presence in Britain of certain artists and their work, the availability of publications in which they were discussed or British artists' travels to particular sites of encounter, such as the Venice Biennale.
The necessity of this study is to counteract the prevailing tendency to isolate the practice of St Ives artists within national boundaries and position it as derivative of American painting. The influence of American Abstract Expressionism and anxieties thereof are well established components in accounts of St Ives, not least because of the high-profile attacks on American critics' supposed nationalistic bias launched in the early 1970s by Patrick Heron, a St Ives protagonist. However, little research has ever been done on exactly what contact there was between St Ives artists and the work of the Americans.
The context for the research project is the refurbishment of Tate St Ives which will be relaunched in 2014 with an exhibition on the art of St Ives curated by Chris Stephens, Head of Displays at Tate Britain and leading scholar in the field. The exhibition will also be shown at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. The PhD project will feed directly into the exhibition by establishing new connections and contexts for the art on display. The conceptual configuration of the exhibition is still very much in the making and the aspiration is for the student to help devise themes for particular rooms, take part in the selection of works, write for the catalogue and contribute to the interpretation of the exhibition more widely.
While Abstract Expressionism has come to dominate histories of post-war painting, at the time it was not recognised as significantly distinct from continental European practice which was better and more immediately known in Britain. After the war, British artists inevitably looked to developments in Paris. At the same time, emerging Parisian artists were exhibited in London. Similarly, British artists would have seen new forms of painting developing in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain and Germany. 'L'art autre', 'art informel' and the work of CoBrA artists were known before that of the Americans. Yet, there are still few Anglophone studies of post-war European painting and none examining its profile among and impact upon British artists.
The PhD student will be able to utilise the wealth of resources at Tate, both visual and written to rectify this situation. Tate Archive holds extensive collections of papers of the leading St Ives figures, such as Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Terry Frost, as well as those of British artists more commonly known to have associated with the European avant-garde such as William Gear and Stephen Gilbert and leading historians and critics of the period. In addition, Tate Library has unrivalled holdings of relevant exhibition catalogues, journals and ephemera. At stake in the research project is not simply the status of British art in the post-war period but a proper understanding of the cultural connections and dynamics of art production in th
Planned Impact
Tate St Ives was opened in 1993 and now attracts around 250,000 visitors every year. It is likely that the St Ives exhibition planned for its reopening will be seen by more than 100,000 visitors of a broad demographic. The accompanying catalogue will become a key text not only for the study of post war British art but the international interconnectedness of of artistic practice.
Modern artists associated with St Ives, such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, are figures of international significance whose work is known around the world. Research in this field is going to be of enormous benefit to the large number of public visitors keen to find out about this distinctive variety of modern British art. It will also assist curators all over the country and internationally who have works in their collections by artists such as Hepworth and Nicholson, and other major St Ives artists, such as Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, William Scott, Wilhemina Barns-Graham and Terry Frost. It will add significantly to the ways in which this art can be interpreted and placed in contexts beyond that of St Ives itself.
An elaboration of the international networks and of the stylistic and theoretical synergies which sustained the St Ives artists will also challenge the formalist art histories that have dominated this field. In so doing, the study of post-war British abstract art will be developed in line with work on its American equivalent by such academics as Michael Leja and Stephen Polcari. Through this research, gallery visitors as well as specialist audiences will be offered an expanded understanding of its formulation and historical significance. The escape from the bounds of formalist histories and analysis of relationships between the local and the international will open up the art's relevance to contemporary viewers.
The research will stimulate new formulations of the history of British art and new possibilities for display which will provide opportunities for British galleries to collaborate with galleries and museums abroad and, by tracing the networked character of St Ives, produce new networks for today. By providing new understanding of the dynamic of a creative community and its potential connectedness with and distinctness from practice elsewhere, the research will offer insight for policy makers on how and where to support creativity in contemporary culture. It will also have a significance for historians working on such creative communities in different periods, especally the late 19th century, and other locations.
Modern artists associated with St Ives, such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, are figures of international significance whose work is known around the world. Research in this field is going to be of enormous benefit to the large number of public visitors keen to find out about this distinctive variety of modern British art. It will also assist curators all over the country and internationally who have works in their collections by artists such as Hepworth and Nicholson, and other major St Ives artists, such as Peter Lanyon, Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton, William Scott, Wilhemina Barns-Graham and Terry Frost. It will add significantly to the ways in which this art can be interpreted and placed in contexts beyond that of St Ives itself.
An elaboration of the international networks and of the stylistic and theoretical synergies which sustained the St Ives artists will also challenge the formalist art histories that have dominated this field. In so doing, the study of post-war British abstract art will be developed in line with work on its American equivalent by such academics as Michael Leja and Stephen Polcari. Through this research, gallery visitors as well as specialist audiences will be offered an expanded understanding of its formulation and historical significance. The escape from the bounds of formalist histories and analysis of relationships between the local and the international will open up the art's relevance to contemporary viewers.
The research will stimulate new formulations of the history of British art and new possibilities for display which will provide opportunities for British galleries to collaborate with galleries and museums abroad and, by tracing the networked character of St Ives, produce new networks for today. By providing new understanding of the dynamic of a creative community and its potential connectedness with and distinctness from practice elsewhere, the research will offer insight for policy makers on how and where to support creativity in contemporary culture. It will also have a significance for historians working on such creative communities in different periods, especally the late 19th century, and other locations.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael White (Principal Investigator) |