ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
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ON THE ARTS MAP
GALLERY SEVENTEEN PRESENTS ...
A JOHN GRIGSBY RETROSPECTIVE
High Street Beckenham ’ s Gallery Seventeen is pleased to present the John Grigsby R . E . 1940 - 2023 Retrospective exhibition running from 14 - 26 June , with a private view taking place on Friday 14 June from 6pm to 9pm .
Gallery Seventeen has always offered an eclectic collection of artwork , featuring many artists of exceptional talent from the local community . John Grigsby was no exception . Predominantly an etcher of unique and outstanding ability , his work spanned some 60 years . During his working career , he also produced watercolours and oil paintings of an exceptional standard .
John studied at Stoke-on-Trent College of Art in the early 1960s and trained as a teacher in Leicester , subsequently teaching in Yorkshire before moving to Selhurst and finally becoming senior lecturer at Croydon College from 1988 – 1996 .
Living and working in Beckenham , Kent , he exhibited at a wide range of venues during his career including The Mews Galleries , The New English Art Club , The Royal Watercolour Society and , not least , he frequently exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition . Elected to the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers as an associate in 1973 , he became a fellow in 1978 .
The exceptionally fine details in his etchings were achieved with a wide range of fine needles and dental tools and he was famously quoted as saying : “ A copper plate with a hard ground and a wide range of mark -making tools is my idea of creative bliss .”
His etchings and paintings are mainly inspired and influenced by the English landscape , be that of the industrial Midlands or the rolling hills of the West Country and everything in between . Time spent in Crete inspired rugged landscapes in both his watercolours and etchings .
The range of his work is absolutely diverse and our June exhibition will reflect the wide variety of this exceptional artist ’ s oeuvre . John ’ s work is held in a number of both private and public important collections , including The Print Archive at Aberystwith University . Our exhibition will include a wide range of prints , etchings and paintings , some of which are unique pieces , both mounted and fully framed , with ultra-violet resistant glass .
Gallery Seventeen is a renowned bespoke framer and can therefore provide conservation-standard advice for any of the pieces in the exhibition , or any other framing requirements you may have . We can , and have , framed everything from George Michael ’ s studded leather jacket to a wedding dress , an electric guitar to a full-size MGM poster and we have a very extensive range of frames and mounts to choose from .
www . galleryseventeen . co . uk
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