John Hitchens

John Hitchens (born 1940) is an English painter. His work is influenced by the landscape of the South Downs and his main subject area is the countryside of West Sussex, England. He also spent extended periods working in North Wales and North West Scotland. Hitchens' paintings[1] are primarily concerned with expressing patterns and textures of the landscape. During the past decades his work has evolved into an abstract style using a range of earth colours.

Biography

John Hitchens was born in Hove, Sussex, England. Both his father, Ivon Hitchens (1893 – 1979) and his grandfather Alfred Hitchens (1861-1942) were also painters.[2] He attended Bedales School near Petersfield, Hampshire, and studied at the Academy of Art, Corsham. Hitchens started exhibiting in the 1960s with a series of solo exhibitions, notably with the Marjorie Parr Gallery in London. His work is represented in several public and private collections in England and overseas.

He lives near Petworth, West Sussex and works at the studio his father built in the woods.

In March 2020 Southampton City Art Gallery mounted a major retrospective of John Hitchens' paintings, covering more than five decades of his work.

Exhibitions featuring work by John Hitchens, his father Ivon, his grandfather Alfred, and his son Simon, a sculptor, were held at Kevis House Gallery in Petworth in 2019 and at Southampton City Art Gallery in 2022/3.[3]

Work in public and private collections

References
  1. Artworks by or after John Hitchens, Art UK
  2. National Portrait gallery listing for John Hitchens
  3. The Hitchens Family: A Shared Love of Landscape Southampton City Art Gallery 12.11.22-4.3.23

Further reading
  • Artists in Britain since 1945, Sansom & Company, 2006 ISBN 9780953260959
  • Marjorie Parr - Chelsea and St Ives Art Dealer, Old Bakehouse Publications, 2008 ISBN 9781905967179
  • Circles and Tangents: Art in the shadow of Cranborne Chase, Canterton Books, 2011 ISBN 9780955226632
  • John Hitchens - Aspects of Landscape, contributor Anne-Katrin Purkiss, Sansom & Company, 2020 ISBN 9781911408505
  • South Downs Showcase, Lodsworth Heritage Society, 2021 ISBN 9781399906265
  • Convergence - Paintings by John Hitchens, Felix & Spear Gallery, 2022 ISBN 9781739752804
  • The Art of Chichester, 60 Years, York House Books, 2022 ISBN 9781399921565
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