2016: Winifred Knights (1899-1947)

8 June - 18 September 2016

'The lost talent of Winifred Knights' - The Times

'An intensely sensitive and compelling exhibition' - The Guardian

'Spellbinding genius of a neglected artist' - The Telegraph

Inspired by the masterpieces of Italian Early Renaissance artists, painstakingly exact in her working methods, and even declared a genius, Winifred Knights (1899-1947) is one of the most original, pioneering British artists of the first half of the 20th century.

The first major retrospective of the award-winning Slade School artist, this exhibition reunited all her completed paintings for the first time since their creation, including the apocalyptic masterpiece The Deluge, 1920, which attracted immense critical acclaim.

Knights worked with determination and extreme attention to detail, and all five of her major works were supported by exquisite and numerous studies. As well as her five most famous works - A Scene in a Village Street, with Mill Hands Conversing (1919), The Deluge (1920), The Marriage at Cana (1923), Santissima Trinita (1924-30) and Scenes From The Life of St Martin of Tours (1928-1933) - nearly 120 intricate preparatory studies, illustrations and portraits provided a true insight into the artistic processes of this incredibly talented and under-appreciated woman artist. 

'I've never seen anything like it. Knights understands colour as a form of thought. It's like falling in love... Dulwich have done it so beautifully.' - Shahidha Bari, BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review.  

Watch the Winifred Knights video series here: