One of the most significant artists of his generation

THE LARGEST retrospective exhibition to date of the work of a significant British artist will include works never exhibited before.

Ian Breakwell (1943-2005) was at the forefront of the avant-garde scene in 1970s Britain, and has influenced generations of artists.

An artist and writer, he had an eye for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Best known for his Diary project, which he maintained throughout his career, Breakwell was determined to be recognised by the widest possible audience through his use of a diverse range of media: from painting to film, videos, television, text works, photography and writing.

Breakwell has a long association with the De La Warr Pavilion; this exhibition marks 10 years since his celebrated film commission The Other Side (2002) and he was the inspiration behind the inaugural exhibition Variety for the Pavilion’s re-opening in 2005.

Tragically, Breakwell died the day that the Pavilion re-opened.

The exhibition will comprise 50 works in all media spanning his career and will be presented in both gallery spaces.

In Gallery 2, The Other Side is a double-screen video installation which used the architecture of the pavilion as both its backdrop and subject.

Accompanied by a gentle soundtrack of the sea, overlaid with a fragment of Schubert’s Nocturne in E Major, it is a slow motion of elderly couples from the local community waltzing on the balcony against the sunset.

The work was later acquired by Tate and has been exhibited nationwide.