Chris Gollon | Reflections from a Film

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This exhibition coincides with the release of the acclaimed new documentary, ‘CHRIS GOLLON: Life in Paint’, which premiered at the Barbican in late 2024 and has since been shown in New York. The film - featuring interviews with Maggi Hambling, Thurston Moore, Sara Maitland, Eleanor McEvoy, Yi Yao, and art historians including Gollon’s biographer Tamsin Pickeral - shines a fresh light on Gollon’s extraordinary career and the creative boundaries he persistently pushed.

^{‘All Mixed Up’ by Chris Gollon, 30" x 22" (76 x 56 cm) acrylic on paper, 2013.  © Chris Gollon Estate}

Born in London in 1953, Gollon’s work is represented in major public collections, including the British Museum and Huddersfield Art Gallery. He exhibited widely in the UK, often collaborating with leading figures from other disciplines. His early involvement in the 1998 exhibition ROOT at the Chisenhale Gallery - alongside Yoko Ono, David Bowie, and Gavin Turk - was curated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, setting the tone for a career defined by cross-disciplinary partnerships. 

His later collaborations with Grammy-nominated cellist Yi Yao and Irish singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy (2015–2017) further underscored his ability to merge music and visual art in unexpected ways.

^{Chris Gollon in his studio circa 2014 © IAP Fine Art}

Gollon’s religious commissions also broke with tradition. In 2000, the Church of England invited him to paint fourteen site-specific Stations of the Cross for St John on Bethnal Green, a Grade I listed church designed by Sir John Soane. Installed in 2008 and blessed by the Bishop of London, the works went on to inspire Sara Maitland’s book Stations of the Cross (Random House). 

His inclusion in the 2004 exhibition Presence: Images of Christ for the Third Millennium at St Paul’s Cathedral - alongside artists such as Bill Viola, Maggi Hambling, Craigie Aitchison, and Tracey Emin - further established his standing within the contemporary art scene.

^{‘Love (II)’ by Chris Gollon, 24” x 18” (61 x 46cm) acrylic on canvas 2011. © Chris Gollon Estate}

Throughout his career, Gollon’s work often explored human vulnerability, spirituality, and the everyday drama of life. In 2005, Huddersfield Art Gallery acquired his painting ‘Einstein & The Jealous Monk (after Bob Dylan)’ to hang alongside Jacob Epstein’s bust of Einstein. Three years later, he was commissioned by the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames to depict the Henley Royal Regatta, a work that now hangs alongside Raoul Dufy’s celebrated painting of the same event. 

In 2009, Gollon broke new ground by becoming the first non-academic Fellow and Artist in Residence at the Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University, where he worked on the Being Human Project with global thinkers - a period that also saw his appearance on Alan Yentob’s Imagine (BBC1).

His sensitivity as a painter of women was evident in his national touring exhibition ‘Incarnation, Mary and Women from the Bible’ (2014–2016), shown in English cathedrals including Norwich, Hereford, Durham, and Chichester - the latter commissioning him to create the first known depiction of Judas Iscariot’s wife in art history. 

^{‘Still Life with Check Tablecloth’ by Chris Gollon, 30” x 22” (76 x 56cm) acrylic on paper 2013. © Chris Gollon Estate}

Gollon’s legacy continued after his death. In 2018, Romsey Abbey acquired and installed his ‘St Ethelflaeda’ diptych, and in 2019, Huddersfield Art Gallery staged ‘CHRIS GOLLON: Beyond the Horizon’, a museum retrospective focusing on his work’s connection with music. 

Now, with a renewed interest sparked by the 2024 documentary, ‘Reflections from a Film’ offers collectors and art enthusiasts a rare opportunity to acquire paintings from the Chris Gollon Estate - works that resonate deeply with the themes explored in both his art and life: collaboration, human emotion, and innovation in painting.

^{CHRIS GOLLON: Life in Paint}

The selling exhibition runs from 5 – 22 August 2025

Open Monday – Friday | 11am – 6pm

Sworders London Gallery | 15 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ

Tuesday 5 – Friday 22 August 2025

london@sworder.co.uk | 0203 971 2500

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