Opening up the Joash Woodrow Archive in Harrogate to reveal genius of visionary postwar British painter

A Harrogate gallery which played a key role in rediscovering the work of a reclusive modern artist whose genius lay hidden for decades is unveiling more of his work.

It was only by chance that Joash Woodrow’s secret life as an artist in Leeds was discovered in the late 1990s by artist Christopher Wood with the help of 108 Fine Art in Harrogate.

Since then, the gallery, located at 16 Cold Bath Road, has been home to the Joash Woodrow Archive with paintings, photographs and stories that continue to shape the legacy of this visionary post-war British painter.

Now it is making a new selection of original paintings and limited edition prints available for view at the gallery.

The prolific nature of Woodrow, who was born in Leeds in 1927 to Polish Jewish parents and studied at the Royal College of Art from 1950 to 1953 alongside Peter Blake and Frank Auerbach, was such that he worked across portraiture, landscape, still life and abstraction throughout his career with a bold use of paint and colour.

Rather than following a single subject, these bodies of work developed alongside one another over five decades, creating an archive of remarkable breadth and range.

From the archive: Paintings by Joash Woodrow at 108 Fine Art gallery gives the public the chance to see work which is rarely exhibited.

108 Fine Art Gallery opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am–5pm.