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An slightly abstract city riverside city scene with a bridge over a sky blue coloured river

Exhibitions

Audrey Amiss: Kitchen Sink Realism

Saturday 12 September - Sunday 17 January

Quick summary

Price
Free
Running time
10am - 6pm
Venue
  • Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Event description

Kitchen Sink Realism is a major solo show of Sunderland born artist Audrey Amiss (1933–2013) presenting previously unseen paintings, drawings and archival material.

About the exhibition

Kitchen Sink Realism charts Amiss’ artistic journey from her formative years in Sunderland through to her final years in Clapham, South London.

The exhibition’s title Kitchen Sink Realism is taken from a quote by Amiss where she stated, “I was once in the tradition of social realism, also called the kitchen sink school of painting, but I am now avant garde and misunderstood.” The exhibition realises Amiss’ long held desire to be recognised as an artist in her own right.

About the artist

Audrey Joan Amiss was born in Fulwell, Sunderland, in 1933, to parents Arthur and Belle Amiss. From an early age she developed a passion for art catching the attention of her teachers at Bede Grammar School for Girls in Sunderland. Amiss continued her studies attending Sunderland College of Art, now part of University of Sunderland’s School of Media and Creative Industries, which led to a prestigious scholarship studying painting at the Royal Academy School of Art in London between 1954-58. This remarkable achievement solidified Amiss’ lifelong commitment to being an artist and recording the world around her.

Kitchen Sink Realism has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Wellcome Collection, London.

Audrey Amiss - Sunshine, A watercolour of a girl in a peach coloured dress. She is sitting at a yellow piano. The piano has a sheet music on a stand. Two framed pictures stand on the two of the piano. There is a window with green curtains to the left of the piano.
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Audrey Amiss Norland Square, a graphite and gouache artwork of a square table standing in the window of a house. The table is dressed with red and white checked tablecloth and has a blue and white striped teapot, plates, butter and honey standing on the table. The window looks out onto a green lawn and trees.
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A Sunday league football match set in the 1950s. The goalkeeper stands next to his near post with his arms folded. A spectator in a blue suit leans against the same post. In the distance, two footballers stand together. One is bending over. Surrounding the pitch are large red brick buildings.
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A 1950s city street scene. People in overcoats hurry by. A lady in a green hat and long coat leans against a wall. A man in a mac and trilby and carrying a brown brief case stops to buy a newspaper from a street vendor. The vendor is wearing a green cap and a striped scarf.
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A jam-packed entrance to what looks like a 1940s funfair. There are a wide selection of people attempting to enter including a sailor, ladies in green coats, children, and a dog on a lead.
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Portrait of a sleeping man sat in a chair. He is wearing a white shirt and black. The tiie has red and yellow stripes.
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A deep yellow beach with a grey sea. A small red and white striped tent, the kind used for Punch and Judy shows, stands unused on the sand. A section of brown wooden fence is in the foreground.
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An slightly abstract city riverside city scene with a bridge over a sky blue coloured river
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Sunderland Culture Logo
Sunderland Uni Logo
Sunderland City Council
Culture House Logo
Wellcome Collection logo
Arts Council England logo

Main image credit: Audrey Amiss, Bridge Across A River, c.1950s, Graphite and gouche on paper, 25 x 36.5cm, Courtesy of Wellcome Collection, London

Gallery image credits: 1. Audrey Amiss, Sunshine, 1948 watercolour on paper 19 x 27.8cm / 2. Audrey Amiss, Norland Square. 1950s graphite and gouache on paper 25 x 35.5cm. / 3. Audrey Amiss, Untitled 1950s watercolour on paper 38.5 x 46cm. / 4. Audrey Amiss, Untitled. 1950-60s watercolour on paper, 38 x 56cm. / 5. Audrey Amiss, Untitled 1948 pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on paper 28.5 x 39 cm. / 6. Audrey Amiss, Portrait of a sleeping man sat in chair, 1950s oil on canvas 45.5 x 60.5cm. 7. Audrey Amiss, Beach Scene, 1950s, 26 x 31cm, colour offset lithograph print on paper. 8. Audrey Amiss, Bridge Across A River, c.1950s, graphite and gouche on paper, 25 x 36.5cm, Courtesy of Wellcome Collection, London

All images are Courtesy of Wellcome Collection, London