To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Newlyn School artist Harold Harvey (1874 – 1941), Penlee House Gallery & Museum is staging a major exhibition of his work until 29 September 2024
At the end of last month, members of the Bodinnar family came to Penlee House for a special tour of the exhibition. Harvey was from a large family, he was the eldest of eight children, and his wife Gertrude (née Bodinnar) was likewise from a large family of ten children. Although Harold and Gertrude had no children of their own, their numerous great-nephews and great-nieces and their descendants live all over the world, with many still in Cornwall.
Kim Conchie, a great-nephew of Gertrude’s said “As descendants of the Bodinnar side, we have been brought up knowing about Harold Harvey, the Cornish painter and loving his paintings like The Blue Door. But never have we seen such an exceptional collection and so many to admire from his different genres, all with a deep passion for Cornwall from fishing to farming, mining to lounging on the beach. The Penlee exhibition really is a delight.”
Penzance-born Harvey was a true ‘son of Cornwall’, and a notable member of the Newlyn School artists’ colony, which flourished from 1880 to 1940. The son of a bank manager, he grew up in Penzance, and after studying under Norman Garstin and a spell in Paris, he settled to a quiet life in Newlyn with fellow artist Gertrude, painting the Cornwall he knew from the inside.
Harvey’s early genre paintings of rustic and marine life, so characteristic of the first group of Newlyn artists, gradually gave way to a more sophisticated subject matter – Harvey was noted for his sumptuous interiors – and a flatter and more decorative style of painting. His early work might be compared with that of Stanhope Forbes, while his later paintings show clear affinities with those of fellow painters and friends such as Laura Knight and Dod and Ernest Procter.
This exhibition demonstrates that Harvey was the equal of any of his contemporaries in both the first and second generations of Newlyn artists. Including more than sixty examples of his work, representing all stages of his career, this exhibition will delight those who know his work, and astonish and enchant all who are unfamiliar with his remarkable talent.
The exhibition is accompanied by a revised edition of the 2001 publication Harold Harvey: Painter of Cornwall, incorporating an art- historical overview of his career by Professor Kenneth McConkey, a biographical essay written by Pauline Sheppard and a greatly expanded catalogue raisonné of over 800 paintings produced by Peter Risdon. Sumptuously illustrated with a new selection of over 80 full-colour images, the book is published by Sansom & Co., Bristol and supported by Richard Green Gallery, London. Available from the Penlee House Gallery shop priced £25.00.
Penlee House is open seven days a week over the summer, up to and including the final day of this exhibition, Sunday 29 September. The Orangery Café is also open, and parking is free in Wellfields Car Park on Sundays.
The Exceptional Harold Harvey exhibition will be on display at Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance 1 May – 29 September 2024.
Penlee House is owned and operated by Penzance Council.
