Ivon Hitchens Install

The exhibition, and the whole vision and idea behind it, is to reintroduce Ivon Hitchens to a new generation” - Anne Goodchild

In an exclusive interview with Lakeside Arts, curator Anne Goodchild reflects on the scope of Ivon Hitchens’ work and why her newest project will be a shock to even those familiar with his work.

Ivon Hitchens: Space Through Colour is Djanogly Gallery’s newest exhibition, taking a look at the full scope of Hitchens’ six-decade long career. Known for his continued experimentation and heightening of his colour palette, the exhibition is abundant with swathes of bright colour and landscape forms. 

Despite being one of Britain’s most admired modern artists, Hitchens’ work is sparsely seen on such a large scale, with the exhibition being the first major retrospective on his work since 1989. For Goodchild, it is this that made its curation an exciting project to lead as it features 50 works from both public and private collections, causing it to be a ‘very important survey’ of his career.

Due to the size of the exhibition, Goodchild remarks how even those familiar with Hitchens’ work will be surprised by what they find in the exhibition. Indeed, in addition to the horizontal format and landscape that Hitchens is known for, the exhibition features a number of pieces from earlier on in his career during which Hitchens turned his hand to still life painting. This decision to include works uncharacteristic of Hitchens was a deliberate choice, with Goodchild musing that she wished ‘to achieve a very unfamiliar look at some of the early work that will put the later landscapes into context’.

Following a summer run in Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, the Ivon Hitchens: Space Through Colour exhibition is open in the Djanogly Gallery to members of the public until 23 February 2020.