Radical and joyous': Beryl Cook show aims to prove she was a serious artist

"In her lifetime Beryl Cook's colourful, vibrant paintings tended to be dismissed by most critics as mere kitsch or whimsy. A major retrospective of Cook's work opening in her adopted city of Plymouth at the weekend makes the case that she was a serious, significant artist who skilfully chronicled a tumultuous period of social transformation. This is absolutely a moment for Beryl Cook, said Terah Walkup, the curator at the Box, where the finishing touches are being put to the Pride and Joy show."

"Beryl Cook wasn't painting caricatures, she said. She was documenting communities and identities that were actively marginalised with affection, mastery and honesty. Her work from the 1970s to 2000s captures working-class joy, body positivity, and queer culture. The exhibition comes at an apt time: 2026 is the centenary of Cook's birth and it is half a century since a Sunday Times feature launched her into the public consciousness following her first exhibition at an arts centre in Plymouth."

"2025 Cook, who died in 2008 aged 81, moved to Plymouth in 1968, and the city became her primary subject, its pubs, streets and lido vivid backdrops for her work. The Pride and Joy show features more than 80 paintings, alongside rarely seen sculptures, textiles, and access to Cook's personal archive of photographs, sketches and correspondence. An identity and representation section highlights how she painted those who were othered and looked"

A major retrospective of Beryl Cook opens in Plymouth, featuring more than 80 paintings, rarely seen sculptures, textiles, and access to Cook's personal archive of photographs, sketches and correspondence. Cook's colourful paintings from the 1970s to 2000s document working-class joy, body positivity, and queer culture with affection, mastery and honesty. She moved to Plymouth in 1968, making the city's pubs, streets and lido primary subjects and vivid backdrops for her work. Curator Terah Walkup and the Box have emphasised Cook's motifs, staging the exhibition with colourful displays and nods to leopard-pattern imagery. The retrospective aligns with Cook's centenary in 2026 and marks fifty years since the profile that launched her public recognition. An identity and representation section highlights how she painted othered communities and identities, underscoring the social significance of her oeuvre.

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