George Hooper: Into The Music Room

GEORGE HOOPER (1910-1994) INTO THE MUSIC ROOM

Zuleika Gallery

GEORGE HOOPER (1910-1994) INTO THE MUSIC ROOM 14 - 23rd June 2018

Viewing times: 3rd Floor 6 Masons Yard St James’s London SW1Y 6BU

Mondays - Fridays 11-6pm, otherwise by appointment Sale Enquiries: lizzie@zuleikagallery.com Telephone: +44(0)7939 566085

Zuleika gallery is delighted to present Into the Music Room, an exhibition featuring work by George Hooper (1910-1994). The exhibition draws on the collection of the conductor, Christopher Gayford, great nephew of the artist. 'Into the Music Room' explores the interplay between art and music in the work of this very vibrant and ebullient artist.

Ceri Richards was one of Hooper's greatest influences, and like Richards, music was a major part of Hooper’s life. His wife Joyce had graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and Hooper himself was an accomplished pianist. The piano dominated the drawing room at their home, Loxwood, and is a recurring feature in his paintings as can be seen in this exhibition. Hooper’s interest in collage in particular came from Richards as well as his series of paintings of ‘emanations’ with their connotation of music invading space. Hooper was also inspired by Richards to use a variety of collage techniques. Paper cut or torn, shiny or matt, layered or just one sheet thick, delighted him. Indeed, applying subsequent collage to an apparently finished work defied the rules of perspective, forcing the viewer to confront the space between the here and now and the world of the picture.

Born in 1910 in Gorakhpur, India, with an Indian mother and British father. Hooper spent his childhood in India. In 1922 he came to Britain to continue his secondary education and by 1931 was enrolled at the Slade. In 1932 he switched to the Royal Academy Schools, where he thrived, picking up several medals and travel scholarships, including the prestigious Rome scholarship and in 1935 he spent the next three years revelling in the colour, light and art of Spain and Italy. Hooper's friendship with the artist Duncan Grant was another enormous artistic influence as was Grant's home, Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex. George developed his own idiosyncratic and vivacious style and his swift, assured use of line and his brilliant colour sense were inspired by his Indian childhood.

Hooper exhibited at the Leicester Galleries alongside Walter Sickert, Duncan Grant and Ivon Hitchens. In addition, his work is in the Victoria & Albert collection, the British Museum and public galleries in Brighton, Hove, Eastbourne and Hull.

Christopher Gayford: Memories of George George Hooper taught me how to see. My first memory of him is of a conversation we had as we walked along the shore of the Dee Estuary. The prow of a small rowing boat, splintered by some long forgotten storm, was sticking out of the sand, blue paint blistered by the sun to reveal a previous years’ coat of red. George stared at it, and as he stared, I began to smile. His face was alight with such innocent joy. It was an expression I had never seen before on the face of a man of his age.

George was about 65 at the time.

Self-portrait of the artist

From 1981 onwards, I got to know George, and his beloved wife Joyce, a lot better.

Joyce was my grandfather’s sister, and during my school days, we’d been separated by geography. When I started studying at the Royal College of Music, Joyce and George were suddenly within easy reach. I began to visit them regularly. We had a lot in common. Joyce was a musician, a conductor, singer and teacher, and we were never short of things to talk about, but what I remember most vividly was the atmosphere. Very recently, I found a few words that explain what I felt: ‘Genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.’ Baudelaire

Both George and Joyce could do that. They must have been, by that definition, geniuses.

Despite being a student of music, and coming from a creative family, I'd never seen anything quite like their household. George spent most of his waking hours painting, and Joyce spent most of hers engaged in music in one form or another. I'd never actually witnessed such lives; I'd only read descriptions of them. Even at that age, I was dimly aware that there are many ways to live a life as an artist, but what struck me so forcibly was the innocence, the playfulness and the complete absence of self-consciousness.

Perhaps it was the last element, their capacity to be entirely themselves without needing to worry about what anyone else thought, that spoke to me so powerfully. I think I'm only beginning to understand that now, as I grow up. An artist is a fully realised version of themselves, who does not seek or need external validation. It's a state, a way of being yourself.

George Hooper 1910-1994 Emanations from the music room, 1970-82 signed with intials and dated 'GH/70-82'' (lower left) acrylic and collage on board 53.2 x 76 cm (21 x 29 7/8 in) ÂŁ 4,500

George Hooper 1910-1994 After Matisse, Cut-Out pencil, crayon, ink and collage on board 55 x 79 cm (21 5/8 x 31 1/8 in) ÂŁ 2,950

George Hooper 1910-1994 Abstract with envelopes signed 'George Hooper' and dated '66' (lower right) collage, biro and black ink on board 53.8 x 76 cm (21 1/8 x 29 7/8 in) ÂŁ 1950

George Hooper 1910-1994 Abstract with piano keys collage and acyrilc and biro and felt-tip pen on paper laid on board 40 x 52 cm (15 3/4 x 20 1/2 in) ÂŁ 1850

George Hooper 1910-1994 Abstract with Piano Keys II signed with initials and dated 'GH 83' (lower left) gouache, collage and felt tip on paper 55.8 x 76.4 cm (22 x 30 1/8 in) ÂŁ 2,250

George Hooper 1910-1994 Still life with Metronome signed and dated 'George Hooper 75' (lower right) gouache and collage on paper 55.6 x 75.7 cm (21 7/8 x 29 3/4 in) ÂŁ 2,250

George Hooper 1910-1994 After TS Eliot: The Dove Descending signed and dated 'George/Hooper 69-84' (lower left) acrylic, and collage on paper 74 x 54 cm (29 1/8 x 21 1/4 in) ÂŁ 3250

George Hooper 1910-1994 After TS Eliot: The Dove Descending II signed and dated 'George Hooper 73' (lower centre left) gouache and collage 75.5 x 55 cm (29 3/4 x 21 5/8 in) ÂŁ 3500

George Hooper 1910-1994 Red Piano Collage with black ink on board 46 x 58.7 cm (18 1/8 x 23 1/8 in) £ 1950

George Hooper 1910-1994 Still life signed and dated 'GWHooper 86' (lower right) 53 x 73.5 cm (20 7/8 x 29 in) ÂŁ 1950

George Hooper 1910-1994 The Charger on the mantelpiece acrylic and oil on paper 53.8 x 72.4 cm (21 1/8 x 28 1/2 in) ÂŁ 3000

George Hooper 1910-1994 Two Jugs with Emanations signed and dated 'George Hooper 81' (lower right) pencil, oil, acrylic and collage on paper 54 x 73.8 cm (21 1/4 x 29 1/8 in) ÂŁ 2350

George Hooper 1910-1994 The Music Room acrylic and collage on board 54.5 x 80 cm (21 1/2 x 31 1/2 in) £5400

George Hooper 1910-1994 The Silver Piano acrylic on paper and board 54.2 x 63.4 cm (21 3/8 x 25 in) ÂŁ 3950

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