Must see exhibitions as Associationcelebrates its 125th anniversary

The Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association marks its 125th anniversary this year and is planning to hold a special event in August to mark the occasion.

George Graham was well known as a landscape painter in oil and watercolour, he was born in Leeds in 1881 and lived at Winchelsea Beach from the early 1920s until his death in 1949.

Mr Castro said: “The 30 known Creation Paintings were painted in the 1930s and 1940s towards the end of Graham’s life and are very different from his usual landscape style.

“They were first exhibited in 1950 shortly after Graham’s death and were willed to Graham’s student Hugh Griffiths who donated them to Hastings Museum in the 1990’s.

“The last time they were exhibited together was at the Museum in 1997.

“To Graham this was a very private project. He wrote to Hugh Griffiths in 1944 “As for my paintings, those done during the last ten years and unknown to people, I must never allow ambition to step in and expect a worldly success. It cannot come in my lifetime”.

“Later, he writes “yes the skies are wonderful. I was only gradually led to my worship of the skies by sheer force of their beauty. If only I could have got on to it years earlier!”.

Mr Castro added: “This is an important exhibition because it represents the complete collection of this genre of Graham’s thought provoking and intriguing paintings and are an incredible change from his more familiar landscapes.

“Whilst visiting the Museum and Art Gallery in Bohemia Road (opposite The Oval) don’t miss the display of photographs of treasured, saved and found objects belonging to members of Halton and Ore History Group, which is running until February 19, and the very popular ‘Hastings in 66 Objects” is definitely worth seeing again.”

There is more about the displays on the Museum’s website, www.hmag.org.uk and there’s details of the Museum Association and how to join on their site www.1066.net/hslma.

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