University of York
University of York
12/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/03/2024 12:46
University of York’s Aubrey Williams painting restored to former glory
University of York's Aubrey Williams painting restored to former glory
Posted on 3 December 2024
A painting by the renowned Guyanese abstract artist Aubrey Williams has been restored after a meticulous conservation process lasting five months.
"Heraldry at York" during the conservation process. Image credit: Critchlow and Kukkonen."Heraldry at York"is a large oil on canvas painting created by Williams in 1961, specifically for the people of York.
A work of abstract expressionism, it depicts a scene inspired by the York Minster and the York Mystery Plays - a long running tradition of open air theatre in York, where local actors perform a cycle of 48 mediaeval plays covering the Christian history of the world from the creation to the Last Judgement.
The painting is returning to the University after being on display at the award-winning gallery Hepworth Wakefield. It is one of three by Williams in the University's art collection which also includes "El Dorado"and "Sun and Earth" which were recently out on loan to the Tate Modern for the exhibition "Life Between Islands", followed by a rendition of the exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada.
Special significance
Helena Cox, Art Curator at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York, said: "Our Aubrey Williams' paintings are some of the most high profile and treasured items in the University's art collection and we are thrilled that this piece, with such special significance to our City and its culture, has been restored. We hope it will be out on loan and on display for everybody to enjoy again soon.
"Seeing open air theatre in York clearly captured Williams' imagination as someone interested in rituals, public performance and the comparison of Guyanese and Christian traditions.
"The presence of this painting in our art collection highlights the bold and ambitious approach the University took to acquiring works of art in the early years after its foundation. There was a real emphasis on seeking out modern, edgy and culturally diverse artwork to reflect our founding principles of diversity and inclusion."
The forgotten treasure was sent away for conservation after being taken out of storage on campus. A painstaking and meticulous process to conserve it was carried out over the course of several months by museum-standard conservators Critchlow and Kukkonen.
The conservation work involved analysing the canvas carefully to distinguish between marks made intentionally by the artist and damage.
Tremendous care
Maridowa Williams, the daughter of Aubrey Williams, said: "I am thrilled to see my father's powerful oil painting, Heraldry at York, at last restored to its former glory. I had heard reference to the work throughout my formative years, but never remember seeing anything more than black and white images of it. In 2019, having collected together a number of archive papers relating to Aubrey's communications with the University, I was fortunate enough to visit in person.
"I had never experienced such intimate relationships with my father's work held in public institutions before, and I found it very moving. All agreed restoration was a clear next step for Heraldry, and, over time funding and a conservation organisation were sourced. Tremendous care and attention have obviously been taken with the restoration process, and as a result the rejuvenated painting really appears to "sing" with freshness again, after all its time 'in confinement'."
Exceptional
Dr James Boaden, from the University of York's Department of History of Art, added: "Heraldry at York is an exceptional painting among the three works by the artist that were acquired by the University. Unlike El Dorado and Sun and Earth II, which are also in the University of York Collection, Heraldry at York has not been on display on campus for more than a decade and has been sat in storage, its restoration will allow it to be seen as intended, by many in the city that inspired its forms."
Aubrey Williams (1926 -1990) was best known for his large, oil-on-canvas paintings, which combine elements of abstract expressionism with forms, images and symbols inspired by the pre-Columbian art of indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Williams left Guyana at the height of the Independence Movement in 1952, and moved to the United Kingdom. He held his first exhibition in London in 1954.