EVELYN DE MORGAN

WHAT? Evelyn De Morgan: The Gold Drawings 

WHERE? Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road, London W14 8LZ

WHEN? Now until 27th August 

WHY GO?  To respect a woman of fortitude!  Evelyn De Morgan was a unique artist of her day, shunning the upper crust life she inherited, a supporter of the suffrage movement, dabbler in spiritualism and pals with the racy Pre-Raphaelite set.  

Amongst the many classical paintings she is best known for, she produced 17 stunning drawings using a luminous gold paint of her own invention and 11 of these gems are on show now in the glorious setting of Leighton House.  First exhibited in 1896, amazingly, they still shine today.

Exquisitely detailed, all have imaginative mystical overtones, reflecting her love of all things spiritual and use of gold as ‘godly’ in spirit.

This delicate little show of angels, saints and mythological figures shines a light on a multi-talented woman and any reason to visit Leighton House is an art lover's dream.

IN THE KNOW Determined to find a special gold paint to draw her heavenly angels, De Morgan created the medium herself from dry pellets of gold pigment and sketched everything on dark woven paper to stand out. 

When first exhibited, they were considered ‘peculiar’, now they can be appreciated for the labour of love they were.