11 May 2009
Life in post-war England celebrated in John Gay exhibition at
Guildhall Art Gallery
More than 100 photographs of post-war England and iconic views
of London will feature in a major exhibition of John Gay’s work at
Guildhall Art Gallery in the heart of the ‘Square Mile’.
John Gay: A Centenary Celebration, which opens on Monday 3
August 2009, will present a wide range of photographs of people,
buildings, animals and landscapes, taken by Gay between the
mid-1930s and 1990s. The images have been selected from English
Heritage’s extensive collection and brought together for the
exhibition, which marks the centenary of Gay’s birth, and have been
interpreted as an exploration of his adopted homeland.
Described by English Heritage as one of the most respected - but
now, largely overlooked - photographers of the mid-20th century,
John Gay was born as Hans Göhler in Germany in 1909 and moved to
England in 1935, where he anglicised his name and settled in
Highgate until his death in 1999.
During his prolific career as a freelance photographer, Gay
worked for Country Fair, The Strand and Farmer’s Weekly. He also
published several photographic books and collaborated with high
profile authors, such as Sir John Betjeman and architectural
historian Gavin Stamp.
Vivien Knight, head of Guildhall Art Gallery, says: “I’m sure
that visitors to the exhibition will be immediately drawn into John
Gay’s view of post-war England, and many of them will recognise his
photographs of London, rural life and holidaymakers in Blackpool in
the 1940s. There’ll be a lot to enjoy, especially for anyone with a
keen interest in social history, photography and architecture.”
Anne Woodward, Exhibitions Manager at English Heritage, says:
“John Gay’s photographs record English people and places during
fifty years of unprecedented change. They evoke the contrasting
moods of the post-war decades, from the smoky austerity of a
station platform in the 1940s to the brave new world of 1960s
architecture.”
Over 40,000 photographs by John Gay are held at the National
Monuments Record, the public archive of English Heritage, and many
can be seen free of charge online at
www.english-heritage.org.uk/viewfinder
Admission to John Gay: A Centenary Celebration is free on
purchase of a ticket (£2.50 for adults, concessions £1) to
Guildhall Art Gallery. Entry is free of charge to City workers and
residents, as well as all day on Fridays and from 3.30pm on other
days.
Ends
Notes for editors
John Gay: A Centenary Celebration runs from Monday 3 August to
Sunday 18 October at Guildhall Art Gallery.
The gallery’s contact details are: Guildhall Art Gallery,
Guildhall Yard, London, EC2V 5AE, telephone 020 7332 3870, email
guildhall.artgallery@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Andrew Sargent’s book, England Observed: John Gay (1909 - 1999),
accompanies the exhibition. Priced £20.00 - ISBN 978 1-848020-03-0,
324 pages.
Journalists who would like to attend the press view on Thursday
30 July from 10am - 12noon are asked to contact Andrew Buckingham
(see above for details).
The City of London Corporation, which provides local government
services for the ‘Square Mile’, the financial and commercial heart
of Britain, works nationally and internationally to maintain and
enhance the City as a world-leading international financial and
business centre. Its other special responsibilities and
services to London and the wider UK include the Barbican Centre,
Tower Bridge, the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, 10,000
acres of open space including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest,
three wholesale food markets, two inner-London City Academies, the
City Bridge Trust and acting as London’s Port Health Authority. The
Lord Mayor of the City of London (currently Ian Luder) works
extensively at home and abroad to promote the City.
Press contacts
Andrew Buckingham, Press Officer, City of London Corporation,
020 7332 1452 or mob: 07795 333 060; email
andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Renee Fok at the English Heritage Press Office, telephone 020
7973 3295, email
renee.fok@english-heritage.org.uk