Southend is the first city outside of Scotland to exhibit the work of artist, Edwin Lucas, one of Britain’s most underrated artists.
Following a successful exhibition held in Edinburgh in 2019, ‘Edwin Lucas: An Individual Eye’, in collaboration with City Art Centre, Edinburgh, is now being hosted by Southend Museums at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend, until 10 September.
Revealing the little-known story of Lucas's life and career, the exhibition traces his development from the early watercolours of his youth to his boldly experimental oil paintings of the 1940s and 1950s. It also explores the artist's final, uncompromising works of the 1980s, which were produced after a break of almost thirty years.
Southend Museums' curator of art, Kevin Lang-Marsh, said: “We are thrilled that our city is the first outside Scotland to bring this unique artist to a new audience. Edwin Lucas was an ordinary man with an extraordinary talent, and you can see that his work and ability makes him one of Britain's most underrated artists.
“I'd also like to thank the artist's family for their support for the exhibition, City Art Gallery as well as its curator, Helen Scott, who has used her expertise at the City Art Centre to curate this wonderful exhibition that we are so thrilled to be currently exhibiting in Southend.”
The exhibition features over sixty artworks drawn from public and private collections including loans from the City Art Centre, Edinburgh, NHS Lothian and rare archival material from the artist's estate.
Cllr Derek Jarvis, cabinet member for arts, culture, heritage and leisure, said: “Securing this exhibition highlights our cultural ambitions and excellence befitting of a new city.
"Lucas's work has been overlooked and ignored in the wider narrative of 20th century Scottish art, but Lucas was one of the most original painters of his era - a unique talent that deserves to be recognised and we are delighted that Southend is now exhibiting his great work, the first to do that outside of Scotland."
For more information about the Edwin Lucas exhibition and Southend Museums, visit the website.
Supporting images can be found on our Flickr page.