Today, we want to talk about one of the most controversial English artists, Beryl Cook (1926-2008), whose comical and unmistakable style remains incredibly relevant. Artnet also includes her in the list of eight painters to watch in 2024, along with the young Adelisa Selimbašić, whom we have already mentioned here. Cook’s scenarios are all real, drawn from her surprising photographic memory. Each painting reflects situations she experienced, taking everyday and social dynamics around her to the extreme. Everything is portrayed through her exuberant gaze, even though Cook was very introverted and shy. Her characters are indeed the exact opposite of who the artist was. Grotesque, disruptive, and mischievous, they seem to draw inspiration from the dramatic protagonists of Otto Dix on one side and the voluptuous figures of Fernando Botero with a perfect touch of comedy, «for the set of Blackpool,» as mentioned in an article in The New York Times.

During last year’s exhibition at the Manhattan gallery A Hug from the Art World, The New York Times recommended its readers to visit the exhibition Beryl Cook Takes New York, emphasizing: «Beryl Cook is extraordinarily popular in her native Great Britain […] but here, she is mostly unknown». Correcting this oversight, the New York audience comes into contact with one of the city’s boldest pictorial representations. New York was indeed one of Cook’s favorite settings, portraying it through its most extravagant inhabitants, devoted to pleasure and the quirks of everyday life. With her contemporary language drawing inspiration from the caricatures of German artist George Grosz, Beryl Cook managed to touch on the vulnerabilities of adult life, concealing them beneath the veil of comedy. Perhaps she had to wait a few decades before truly being understood, at least by the public. Academic circles, on the other hand, tend to dismiss her, as seen in an article in The Telegraph or in a harsh critique from a few years ago in The Guardian by Andrian Searle, who described her painting as “nauseating and complacent.” Even critic Brian Sewell didn’t hold back, stating that Cook «developed a highly successful formula that many fools are willing to buy, but in my opinion, it’s anti-art. It has a kind of vulgar streak that has nothing to do with art.» Despite her popularity in the English scene, even the Tate in London rejected the request to include Cook’s work in its collection. What’s certain is that Beryl Cook is capable of evoking emotions—do we like her work? What about you?

Courtesy Beryl Cook