Artist: Philip Sutton

Philip Sutton RA returns to London with Making History Dance, a solo exhibition of paintings inspired by William Shakespeare.

A contemporary of Evan Uglow, Michael Andrews, and Craigie Aitchison, Philip Sutton is a member of an influential generation that emerged from the Slade School of Art following the Second World War. This remarkable cohort broke free from the bleak, drab post-war gloom, disregarding the rigid formalism of their teachers. Instead, they infused the grey halls of the Slade School of Art with vibrant colour and energy, which infected the art scene of the swinging 1960s.

Making History Dance is an ode to Sutton’s influence today and powerful ability to bring history into the present, to make history sing and dance. His glorious use of colour and energetic mark-making resurrects scenes from Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V,’ Elizabethan England, France, and the Battle of Agincourt alongside humorous and theatrical self-portraits. With instinctive ease, Sutton exhibits works depicting swelling moments of tension, the chaotic confusion of battle, and the simplicity of everyday farm and country life. This is an exhibition inspired by Shakespeare and running wild into the realms of the magical and wondrous.

Sutton’s Shakespearian journey began with an invitation and call for help from architect Theo Crosby and American actor Sam Wanamaker. Wanamaker could not believe that London did not have a Globe Theatre, so he enlisted Sutton’s help to create posters advocating for its reconstruction and eventually to exhibit a body of work at the theatre’s grand opening. Despite being initially daunted by how to grapple with such a seminal figure, you will notice Sutton quickly revelled in the freedom the theatrical gave him.

It is Twilight Contemporary’s great privilege to exhibit one of the UK’s most accomplished post-war artists. His work is as young, and relevant today as ever, reminding us all of the joy and wonder a painting can bring.

Curation & words by Sam Hanson