Peter de Francia: A Sideways Glance
Art World drawings

19 March – 5 May

Peter de Francia, Private View, 1958, charcoal on paper

Peter de Francia’s work stems from the tradition of Goya, Daumier and Beckmann. His vibrant palette and drawing style (a fusion of Grosz and Picasso) as well as his subject matter demonstrate the influence of European art history. Recent displays at Tate Britain,Tate Modern, and an exhibition in New York point to increasing interest in his work.The drawings in this exhibition range from 1960s satirical pen and ink sketches to more contemplative charcoal drawings of the 1990s.The subject matter ranges from ‘Mammon in Arcadia’ to the predicaments facing the artist today, all treated with characteristic wit and sardonic humour.

Peter de Francia is represented by James Hyman / James Hyman Gallery, London. www.jameshymanfineart.com

A selection of Peter de Francia’s work was also on show at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture this year.

See Peter de Francia Modern Myths: Drawings from Four Decades

Tom Hammick: Nocturnal and other Paintings

11 May – 22 June

Tom Hammick, Circus, Glynde Gap, 2007, oil on linen

Tom Hammick's paintings are observations of the real world: a shoreline, a hut in a windswept field, a group of figures walking against the horizon.They are everyday moments, common to each of us, transformed through the processes of making into images that speak of what it is to be human.

Hammick paints without cynicism. His tender comments on the wonderment of childhood, his iconic portraits of his wife or the picturing of the landscape he inhabits, are images full of complexity and connection. For this artist the act of painting is an investment in living.

Tom Hammick is represented by Emma Hill Fine Art / The Eagle Gallery, London. www.emmahilleagle.com

Philip Hughes: Stone Circles

29 June – 24 August

Philip Hughes, Templewood II, 2006, pencil & gouache on paper

Prehistoric Stone Circles are a peculiarly British phenomenon.They are found in all regions, from Cornwall to Orkney. Philip Hughes has been drawing these circles for over 20 years. He does very large drawings in situ, sometimes of individual stones, and sometimes from a more distant perspective, showing the placement of the circles in the surrounding landscape. Circles portrayed include Avebury and Stonehenge in Southern England, and in Scotland, Callanish in Lewis and Brodgar in Orkney.

This exhibition will be followed by an extended exhibition in Autumn 2008, at the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney.

The Pier Arts Centre, famous for its housing a major collection of 20th Century British Art, has recently re-opened after extensive enlargement and refurbishment. As well as housing its permanent collection, the gallery puts on a number of temporary exhibitions. For more information visit pierartscentre.com

Philip Hughes is represented by The Francis Kyle Gallery, London.

www.franciskylegallery.com

For more information please visit http://www.philiphughesart.com/

Frank Hurley: Photographing the Great War

31 August – 2 November

Frank Hurley, “The Battle of the Menin Road” 1917/18 © Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Australian photographer Frank Hurley is probably best known for the extraordinary pictures of Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic. He also photographed the First World War, producing some of the most technically adept and visually striking images in both colour and monochrome.

His frustration at not being able to render the battlefield experience in a single image led him to produce highly controversial montages in which fragments from many negatives were merged seamlessly to spectacular effect. Hurley claimed these montaged pictures told the truth about the war, but they raised deep concerns about the truth of photographic depiction and the ethical limits of documentary.

This collaborative exhibition is organised with Photoworks and is part of the 2008 Brighton Photo Biennial.

Photoworks is a visual arts organisation based in Brighton, England. Photoworks commission new photography projects, produce exhibitions and publications, and initiate research and education programmes. For more information visit www.photoworksuk.org.

Brighton Photo Biennial is committed to stimulating critical debate on photography in all its forms: new and historic, digital and analogue, still and moving. Bringing together known and unknown bodies of work, new commissions and previously unseen images.