Self Portrait (1940s)

Retrospective at Rye on Jacqueline Stanley

In advance of the forthcoming exhibition dedicated to Jacqueline Stanley at Rye Art Gallery, HOT’s Judy Parkinson spoke to Jane and Nichola Bruce about their mother’s work.

Unlike many women of her generation, the artist Jacqueline Stanley was never exactly overshadowed by male artists; the force of her talent and personality had much to do with that, but as a woman whose art spanned most of the 20^th century, society as it was then allowed male artists to ease their way to the front, which meant they were frequently more highly regarded, eclipsing equally talented women.

Times have changed and the work and legacies of female artists are now taking their rightful positions centre stage.  Jacqueline Stanley worked for over 70 years creating a significant body of work and was keenly aware of the rapidity of change happening in the world. She said about her work, “I try and get it before it all disappears.”

Jacqueline Stanley, A Retrospective, opening at Rye Art Gallery on 29 July, will be the first solo exhibition since the artist’s death last year at the age of 94. Born in 1928, she began her work by painting the views from the windows of her parents’ flat over a shop in south east London. She illustrated her life story and painted or drew almost every day of her life.

“I’ve always painted what’s around me, it’s something I do,” she said. She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1952 and in the same year married fellow artist Campbell Bruce.  She exhibited her work from the get-go while juggling family life, exhibitions, parties, dances and teaching.  She soaked up her surroundings observing the life and landscapes around her, from her kitchen sink to the orchards of Kent, London’s Zoo and street markets to the scorched hills of Estepona.

Moon over Wye (1958)

In 1975, prompted by a lack of belief in the value of the arts under the Tory government of the time, she and Campbell moved to Ireland.  He became head of Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, and she lost no time in involving herself in the art scene.  She taught, mentored, painted, exhibited, and together they travelled widely, networking with artists all over the world.  She was the founder member of the Black Church Print Studio while representing Ireland in many print Biennales.

Force of nature

A force of nature herself, her work reflected the powerful ruggedness of the Wicklow and West Cork landscapes and seascapes. In 1985 she co-founded Arnott’s National Portrait Awards. She contributed to over 270 group shows, featured in scores of solo shows, influenced many an art student, and among many awards perhaps her proudest was her appointment as an Honorary Member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

Rye Gallery’s retrospective show brings together a range of canvases, large-scale drawings and prints which depict gesture, expression and untamed landscapes via subject matter including cityscapes, shop fronts, sea fronts, zoos, still life and portraits.

Winter Orchard with Apples (1950s)

Jacqueline Stanley’s family have generously supported the exhibition which brings together over 30 works that range from her early career as a student in London, landscapes from her time in Egerton, Kent, and her long career in Ireland.  The force of her personality shines through in all her work, demanding the viewer to look, to really look and then look again.

Jacqueline Stanley began her long relationship with Rye Art Gallery in the early 1960s and her work was included last autumn’s Colony show.  “This is an important stage in Rye Art Gallery’s development,” said Dr Julian Day, gallery director.  “We are honoured to be staging Jackie’s retrospective, she was a great artist, a feisty and funny woman never afraid to share her views.”

The exhibition takes over the two main galleries of the building while upstairs two shows will be featured: Little Men by Liz Finch and Selected Works by Angie Braven. Both artists are innovators in their field, often unacknowledged in the world of art, even now still dominated by men.  For the first time, the gallery will feature works solely by women, with Angie and Liz selecting works by female artists from Rye Art Gallery’s permanent collection.

Jacqueline Stanley ARCA HRHA (1928–2022)

Jacqueline Stanley: A Retrospective. Rye Art Gallery, 107 High Street, Rye TN31 7JE. 29 July-30 September. Opening hours 11am-5pm, except Sundays 11am-4pm, closed Tuesdays.

 Rye Art Gallery: website, instagram, email.

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