Patrick Procktor photographed in 1968. © The Redfern Gallery, London.
Patrick Procktor: The Last Romantic
Curated by Dr. Ian Massey
January 14 - February 25, 2016
The Gallery, Arts University Bournemouth
From the Press Release
The artist Patrick Procktor RA (1936-2003) first came to prominence in 1963, when his first show opened at The Redfern Gallery in London. Both critically acclaimed and a near sell-out, the show launched him as a star of the Sixties art scene: remarkable given that he had graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art less than a year before. With his friends David Hockney, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, Procktor became part of a bohemian circle, one that reinvented modernity, seizing glamour as a liberating force at a time when, in cultural commentator Peter York’s phrase, ‘Style became a weapon to forge your own legend.’ Renowned for his camp theatricality and rapier wit, the charismatic Procktor formed many friendships, amongst them Cecil Beaton, Christopher Gibbs, Gilbert and George, and Princess Margaret. He painted and drew portraits of many luminaries of the era, such as rock star Mick Jagger, playwright Joe Orton, and the actor Jill Bennett. He travelled widely in Europe, India, China and Egypt, painting wherever he went.
Dr. Ian Massey, Curator: Dr. Ian Massey is an art historian, writer and curator. He is the author of the monograph biography Patrick Procktor: Art and Life (2010) and co-author with Anthony Hepworth of Keith Vaughan: The Mature Oils (2012). Both publications were authorised by the artist’s Estates, and have been acclaimed widely, garnering international media coverage and reviews. Amongst other artists Ian has written about are the painters Trevor Bell, Sandra Blow, John McLean and Fraser Taylor. Publications for which he has written include Sight and Sound, PN Review,Printmaking Today, Varoom and Visual Culture in Britain; he writes also for the Public Catalogue Foundation. He has curated exhibitions in Glasgow, Huddersfield and Manchester.
Ian has lectured widely, giving public talks on his research in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and St Ives. For many years he taught in university art and design departments, before going freelance in 2014; he is currently working on a book about twentieth century St Ives artists.
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