Glyn Philpot : Flesh and Spirit

Delightful exhibition at Pallant House Gallery on the life and work of Glyn Philpot.

I’ve loved Philpot’s work for a while but never seen it presented in such a comprehensive way. I was fascinated by the way he moved from being a society portrait painter to becoming Modernist artist. From the start to the end you felt you were in two different worlds and yet you could see the connection.

There was a wonderful sense of friendship with him working with and for various people throughout his career such as Sir Philip Sassoon and Oliver Messel and you can’t help but be moved by his relationship with his model Henry Thomas. I love shows like this which introduce you to lots of new and interesting people, most of them rather beautiful young men.

Philpot was not just a painter so it was good to see some of his sculpture included as well as reference to his decorative work and costume designs. 

A sign of a good show is sometimes that you are left wanting more and this was the case here. I’d liked to have seen more about the decorative work particularly work with Lutyens on Queen Mary’s Dolls House and the library in the Vice-Regal Residence in New Delhi. You can’t tempt me like that then not have pictures! Another show? 

Closes 23 October 2022

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