To celebrate the announcement of Pangolin London's representation of Breon O'Casey's estate and to coincide with London Original Print Week we are delighted to be exhibiting a special selection of O'Caseys bold and colourful prints.
Breon O’Casey was inspired to move to St Ives in the 1950s after watching a television programme on the primitive painter Alfred Wallis. Yearning to live somewhere where he wouldn’t feel ‘like a rhinoceros walking along the streets’ O’Casey soon became a prominent member of the colourful group of artists who made their homes there.
Working as a studio assistant for sculptors Denis Mitchell and Barbara Hepworth to help pay his bills, O’Casey set up a studio at Porthmeor where the fabulous views straight out onto the sea inspired him to think of the landscape in four simple horizontal lines. This began his journey into abstraction, reducing the outside world into simple shapes and colours which by doing so O’Casey skilfully captured their essence.
On representing the estate Pangolin London Gallery Director, Polly Bielecka said “I hugely admire Breon O’Casey’s work so we are absolutely thrilled to be working with the family to re-evaluate his work and important contribution to the St Ives group. We are looking forward to bringing more attention to the incredible breadth of Breon’s oeuvre through exhibitions, research and new publications.”
O’Casey was passionate about making in all its forms and alongside painting also made sculpture, prints, jewellery and weavings. Working with the master printmaker Hugh Stoneman in Cornwall, O’Casey preferred linocuts and etching to screenprints which he felt were too perfect and lost the sense of the artist. Produced in small editions of 15 or 20 these works are now highly collectible with many editions now becoming increasingly rare.
This special selection of prints, some of which have not been exhibited in London, will be on view in the public spaces of Kings Place in the Main Atrium and B-1 Level.
The exhibition can be viewed 7 days a week by appointment. Please book an appointment by calling 020 7520 1480 or email us at gallery@pangolinlondon.com.
