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Press Release 22 JANUARY 2010

For immediate release

Ian Dury & Fred

Ian Dury and the Blockheads at Hammersmith

FREDERICK GORE, A RETROSPECTIVE

Touring exhibition, plus book launch

8-28 February 2010

The launch of a new film, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, about the late, legendary 1970s pop star and songwriter, Ian Dury, coincides with a stunning exhibition of paintings and a book, Frederick Gore, A Retrospective, which chart the illustrious and very long career of one of Dury’s close friends, the late Royal Academician Frederick Gore CBE, RA.

The exhibition will include Gore’s painting (above) of the legendary Dury and his band. It was created as a result of his younger daughter, Geraldine, surprising him with tickets to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads playing at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1978. She did so in the belief that Gore would like the band’s style of music but he loved the entire, energetic performance so much that it inspired him to record the event in his pocket sketch book, later working it up into this vibrant painting which conveys the energy and passion for music that the band became famous for. Gore met Dury – formerly an art teacher - and they became friends, so much so that at future performances Dury would call out to Gore in the audience, “Hallo, Fred, come up on stage!”. A portrait of Ian Dury by Gore was shown at one of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibitions, and was subsequently made into a greeting card.

This large exhibition is certain to enliven the entire month of February as it begins its tour in London’s Cork Street then moves to Richmond to ensure as many as possible of Gore’s devotees get the chance to view and enjoy the paintings. Both the exhibition and the richly illustrated book span the artist’s career and reveal the way artistic movements such as Post-Impressionism and Fauvism shaped his style of painting. The former fed his enthusiasm for simplified, strong forms and emotional responses to his subject matter, whilst his delight in using non-naturalistic, wild colours reflected the artistic freedom of the Fauvists.

These features lent a vitality and a sense of modernity to his paintings that gave them enduring appeal. The powerful colours worked particularly well in evoking vigour in his London and New York cityscapes as well as the intense heat of the Majorcan and French landscapes that he visited and painted over many years.

“Freddy”, as he was affectionately known, was a charismatic figure possessed of immense energy who lit up the private world he inhabited and the art world. He determinedly forged and steadfastly adhered to his individual artistic style and used his generous nature and influential position as Head of Painting at St. Martin’s School of Art to inspire generations of painters to be equally radical, to have confidence in their work and to disregard contemporary artistic fashion.

Under his leadership as Chairman of Exhibitions at the Royal Academy, the selection of exhibiting artists transformed it into a respected and immensely popular 20th century art institution.

In the foreward to the book, the late Sir Roger de Grey (Past President of the Royal Academy), described Freddy Gore as “a great teacher of art…a radical individual but one imbued with the great intelligence that is apparent in his paintings”.

Freddy Gore died last year and both the exhibition and the book are a fitting celebration of his talent, recognized some 63 years ago with a solo show in London in 1937.

EXHIBITION

8-13 February 2010

CORK STREET GALLERY (including book launch)

28 Cork Street, London W1S 3NG

Tel: 020 7437 2812

Email: info@therichmondhillgallery.com

Web: www.therichmondhillgallery.com

14-28 February 2010

THE RICHMOND HILL GALLERY

26 Richmond Hill, Richmond, London TW10 6QX

Tel: 020 8940 5152

Email: info@therichmondhillgallery.com