HARRY PHELAN GIBB – AT THE FRESTONIAN GALLERY

Harry Phelan Gibb – A British Modernist Rediscovered: The Paris Years, the first major exhibition in decades devoted to British artist Harry Phelan Gibb (1870-1948), at the Frestonian Gallery.

Co-curated by Simon Grant, curator and writer, the exhibition brings together more than 20 works that trace Gibb’s remarkable artistic journey through Paris in the early twentieth century, where he became immersed in the heart of the European avant-garde. The exhibition seeks to restore Harry Phelan Gibb to his rightful place within the history of British modernism. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive catalogue including new essays by Simon Grant and John Campbell and includes generous loans from Towner Eastbourne and Salford Museum & Art Gallery.

Working across styles and techniques with striking independence, Gibb developed a fearless and experimental artistic practice that defied easy categorisation. This exhibition reintroduces him as a pioneering British modernist whose achievements and international standing have long been overlooked. It explores Gibb’s formative years in Paris and the network of artists, writers, and collectors who helped shape his career. Among those within his circle were Henri Matisse, Juan Gris, Emily Carr and Gertrude Stein. As explored in Simon Grant’s essay, it was through these relationships and the rapidly evolving artistic developments of the period, that Gibb forged his own distinctive modernist vision.

The exhibition is on until the 8th August 2026 at The Frestonian Gallery, 2, Olaf Street, W11 4BE.