John Hitchens
John Hitchens (born 1940) is an English painter. His work is influenced by the landscape of the South Downs and his main subject area is the countryside of West Sussex, England. He also spent extended periods working in North Wales and North West Scotland. Hitchens' paintings[1] are primarily concerned with expressing patterns and textures of the landscape. During the past decades his work has evolved into an abstract style using a range of earth colours.
Biography
John Hitchens was born in Hove, Sussex, England. Both his father, Ivon Hitchens (1893 – 1979) and his grandfather Alfred Hitchens (1861-1942) were also painters.[2] He attended Bedales School near Petersfield, Hampshire, and studied at the Academy of Art, Corsham. Hitchens started exhibiting in the 1960s with a series of solo exhibitions, notably with the Marjorie Parr Gallery in London. His work is represented in several public and private collections in England and overseas.
He lives near Petworth, West Sussex and works at the studio his father built in the woods.
An exhibition featuring work by John Hitchens, his father Ivon, his grandfather Alfred, and his son Simon, a sculptor, was held at Kevis House Gallery in Petworth in 2019.
In March 2020 Southampton City Art Gallery mounted a major retrospective of John Hitchens' paintings, covering more than five decades of his work.
Work in public and private collections
- Bradford City Art Gallery
- Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
- Brasenose College, Oxford
- New College, Oxford.
- Ferens Art Gallery, Hull
- Magdalene College, Cambridge
- Nuffield College, Oxford
- University of Chichester
- Towner Gallery, Eastbourne
- Leicester University
- Southampton City Art Gallery
References
Further reading
- Artists in Britain since 1945, Sansom & Company, 2006 ISBN 9780953260959
- Marjorie Parr - Chelsea and St Ives Art Dealer, Old Bakehouse Publications, 2008 ISBN 9781905967179
- John Hitchens - Aspects of Landscape, contributor Anne-Katrin Purkiss, Sansom & Company, 2020 ISBN 9781911408505
- South Downs Showcase, Lodsworth Heritage Society, 2021 ISBN 9781399906265
- Convergence - Paintings by John Hitchens, Felix & Spear Gallery, 2022 ISBN 9781739752804
- The Art of Chichester, 60 Years, York House Books, 2022 ISBN 9781399921565
External links
- Official website
- 14 artworks by or after John Hitchens at the Art UK site
- Publications at the National Art Library [1]
- Felix & Spear Gallery
- From Sombre Lands: Piano Composition after a painting by John Hitchens (2013)
- www.artnet.com
- Christies Auctions past results for John Hitchens