Hidden’s roots are in the South-West, a region of the UK which boasts a particularly vibrant art legacy. From Bristol’s era-defining street art scene to Peter Blake’s ‘The Brotherhood of Ruralists’ formed in the nearby countryside, our locale has been fertile ground for many exciting moments in art history.
We are proud to hold a number of local trailblazers within our collection, one of whom is Turner Prize winner Howard Hodgkin. To celebrate our two most recent Hodgkin acquisitions, there is no better time to delve into the artist’s irrefutably profound influence on British art, which began in the South-West and spread across the country.
A lot of his development as an artist took place on our doorstep in nearby Wiltshire, namely at the famous yet oft overlooked Corsham Court. In 1946, due to substantial bombing during World War II, the Bath Academy of Art relocated from the city and into this historic mansion for forty years. Situated in a quiet market town, replete with peacocks that freely roam the streets, it was considered an unexpected location for what was one of the most essential post-war art schools.
It was a magnet for major household names but was not documented as thoroughly as other institutions were during this time. With little information to be found online, the legacy of the academy is somewhat tucked away.
Artists from the St Ives clan such as Terry Frost were attracted to this progressive institution, and one of the most important tutors was Howard Hodgkin. His first forays into printmaking took place at Corsham Court in the 1950s, which significantly transformed his career. His extraordinary wisdom and technical ability made him an excellent professor, and he advanced both his students’ and his own practice significantly during his time at the school.
There was a boom in printmaking during the post-war era, which Hodgkin was certainly at the heart of. The medium’s notable increase in popularity took place largely in Wiltshire. Famously, there was the revered 107 Workshop which was ran by Jack Shirreff, a printmaking tutor at the Bath Academy of Art. This atelier was Hodgkin’s preferred location for producing prints and was the site where he worked on some of his most significant printmaking projects. Introduced to techniques such as carborundum, it was at this studio that Hodgkin became all the more transfixed with the medium.
Being situated so close to an area steeped in printmaking history, offering original works by one of the medium’s main pioneers, is extraordinary.
