It brings a collection of pictures the painter completed over five years from her estate. Held 30 years after Barns-Graham’s first visit to the popular holiday destination, this show is the first to focus solely on her late series of topographical and geological studies of the island.
Natural structures
Offered for £7000, Timafaya Mt Fuego was completed in 1989 during her first visit. It reflects her close observation of the natural structures that formed the volcanic landscape.
There are also pencil drawings, oil pastels, gouaches and mixed-media works in the show. Some, such as Orzola Slipway, show man-made structures in the landscape, while others, like Eye of the Storm Series No 4, are highly abstract.
Born in Scotland and a one-time member of the St Ives group, Barns- Graham was a pioneer in British Modern art. She was fascinated with place and geology throughout her career, depicting the landscapes of the Isles of Scilly, Swiss glaciers and Tuscan quarries.
While working on her Lanzarote series she developed a new colour palette consisting principally of black, red, ochre and green that would inform her later works.
The show runs from June 10-29 at Belgrave St Ives, which represents the artist on behalf of the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust in the south-west. It includes a fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by trustee Geoffrey Bertram.
