James Russell

We're thrilled to announce that Accredited Lecturer of The Arts Society, James Russell will curate a major retrospective of Edward Bawden next year at Dulwich Picture Gallery. 

Edward Bawden was a master printmaker, illustrator, watercolourist and designer and is today recognised as one of the most influential artists of his generation. Whilst he is perhaps best-known for his commercial work for companies such as Twinings and Fortnum & Mason, and his linocuts depicting everyday England, a significant body of work remains relatively unknown.

This exhibition will bring together 170 works to re-introduce Bawden as a hugely versatile artist, who effortlessly pushed the boundaries between fine and commercial art. It will be the first to show the full breadth of Bawden’s artistic output, covering each of the many disciplines he mastered over his 60-year career, as well as exploring his lesser-known achievements as a fine artist.

Arranged thematically it will explore the evolution in his style across recurring motifs such as leisure, nature and architecture. Highlights will include a series of Bawden’s moving war portraits, as well as a substantial amount of prints and watercolours loaned from private collections - many which have never been exhibited publicly before.

Speaking of the show, James Russell said:

“This exhibition celebrates Bawden’s many achievements across all the disciplines he mastered, while also offering visitors an intimate portrait of the artist through studies, drawings and illustrated letters. Bawden’s unrivalled skill as a designer, irrepressible sense of humour and profound feeling for place will flow through the exhibition, offering visitors a varied, entertaining and sometimes moving experience.”

James Russell curated Eric Ravilious at Dulwich Picture Gallery in 2015. He is the author of The Lost Watercolours of Edward Bawden (Mainstone Press), a study of Bawden’s 1930s paintings, as well as titles devoted to Eric Ravilious and other artists of the period.

Lectures for The Arts Society include: 

/ Edward Bawden: Artist & Adventurer

/ Enigmatic Art: Famous paintings that keep us guessing

/ Lover, teacher, muse - or rival? Couples in modern British art.