September 28th to October 28th 2023
When Brian Hagger died in 2006, David Buckman, author of the dictionary Artists in Britain since 1945, wrote in his Obituary for the Independent that, “The artist Brian Hagger never made a national reputation, but he created a body of work that can never be matched”
This long overdue Retrospective brings to life David’s words and presents, we believe irrefutable evidence that Hagger did, over a relatively short period create a series of paintings that only the benefit of hindsight, allows us to fully understand their brilliance and importance.
This output didn’t come about by accident, Hagger was a dedicated student who excelled at the Royal College of Art and his paintings of London have a clear lineage from Walter Sickert, The Camden Town Group, The Euston Road School and later painters such as Ruskin Spear, who also happened to be his tutor. His foundations were therefore undeniably excellent and it is this and his determination to present the urban landscape as he saw it that makes his body of work so engaging.
As you will see throughout the Exhibition Hagger’s 1960’s and 1970’s paintings of pre-gentrified, post war West London are unsentimental, honest and true, with often a gentle humour and hint of satire that can transport the viewer to an era long gone. Most importantly, he was also creating a valuable social record of a city in transition, similar to what L S Lowry was doing in Manchester and Herbert Whone was creating in Glasgow.
A fascinating aspect to the body of work that Hagger produced is the juxtaposition between the realistic approach to his dilapidated subject matter and the glamorous world that so many of his patrons moved in. In simple terms his extensive list of buyers in the 60’s and 70’s reads like a who’s who of film stars, racing drivers, TV celebrities, musicians and major industrialists. Much of this can be accredited to a chance meeting in 1964 with American businessman and husband of novelist Jackie Collins, Oscar Lerman when Hagger was selling his paintings off the railings at Green Park. Lerman later opened the Bramante Gallery in Victoria and Hagger had 4 one man shows and many mixed shows there between 1968 and 1971. Later he showed at the Thackeray Gallery and was a regular exhibitor at the RA during the 1960s 70s and 80s.
We are therefore delighted to host this Retrospective and grateful for the trust Hagger’s daughter, Rowena has placed in us as we strive to bring the wonderful paintings of Brian Hagger to a wider audience. Of course we also owe a debt of gratitude to collectors of his work who have been so generous with the loans of their paintings for the exhibition.
