WHAT? Neil Stokoe

WHERE? Saatchi Yates, 14 Bury Street, St.James’s London, SW1Y 6AL

WHEN? Now until 25th February.  Free to visit

WHY GO? For edgy disruptive vibes.  A contemporary of Hockney during the RCA’s legendary ‘golden years’, drinking pal of Francis Bacon and teacher at both Wimbledon and Portsmouth, where he is fondly remembered, Neil Stokoe who died in 2019 (aged 89) never achieved the fame he so well deserved during his lifetime. 

That was not down to lack of talent, but, says this posthumous retrospective, because he shied away from publicity and was selective about what, where and when he would exhibit.  He preferred to paint quietly in relative seclusion from his West London studio.

Thank goodness this has been remedied!  His son Jack has enabled his father’s name to come out of obscurity by helping curate this powerful exhibition.  What a whopper of a show it is, representing his work between the 1960s and 1990s, it firmly chimes with the times today depicting interiors that look like any ultra modern boutique hotel.  Filling the huge white gallery space, it is strangely disquieting featuring figures that are disconnected.

Though colourful and vibrant, Stokoe’s  paintings have a secretive almost solitary feel with couples sitting silently divorced from conversation or entering and leaving rooms through an interplay of shaded screens and shutters.  

If anything represents an artist shying away from fame, this delivers a clear message.  These are huge monumental works of art and deserve to go down for posterity!

IN THE KNOW Having relocated last January to create a larger gallery space in the heart of Mayfair’s blue-chip art neighbourhood, Saatchi Yates are now even better placed to lead the way in showcasing emerging artists.  They launched initially in 2020 and have since created a buzz for exhibiting leading Post-War and contemporary artists.