Gwen John (1876–1939) has long been celebrated for her captivating and delicate studies of women in austere interior spaces. This exhibition brings together John’s distinctive oil paintings—among the most acutely observed works of the early twentieth century—with rarely seen drawings and watercolors, spanning her early student days to her later immersion in French modernism. Collectively, these works provide the most comprehensive survey of the artist’s work in more than forty years, revealing afresh her artistic scope and range. The result is an exciting opportunity to examine anew John’s artistic methods and working practices.
After a strictly religious upbringing in Wales, John made her way to London’s Slade School of Art, then at the height of its reputation. In 1904, she moved to Paris, where she was accepted into progressive artistic circles and remained until the end of her life. Across her paintings and drawings, John repeatedly returned to the same subjects, working up multiple versions of compositions with variations in detail, technique, and tone. John’s drawings are less familiar but reveal lesser-known aspects of her practice: informal plein air sketching, a remarkable interplay between figuration and abstraction, and a vibrant use of color.
The exhibition is organized by Amgueddfa Cymru in partnership with National Galleries of Scotland, the Yale Center for British Art, and National Museum of Women in the Arts. It will be accompanied by a fully illustrated scholarly catalogue.
