The exhibition, ‘A Portrait of Stockport’, will open on 28 September and run until 25 January. Over 100 of Helen’s works will be displayed, including flagship pieces The Power Station, The Last Carnival and Brinksway 1979, Before The Motorway.
Helen has an impressive career spanning several decades and is renowned for her depictions of the post-industrial landscape of her hometown, Stockport. A result of meticulous sketches, her paintings record an evolution of a once great industrial town with its mills and renowned viaduct into a modern town fit for the 21st century.
Helen has a significant profile in the North and the exhibition, which is a celebration of her works, is set to be a key event in the gallery’s calendar. She is a post-graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts and has had major exhibitions at Scolar Fine Art and the Osborne Samuel Gallery in London’s Mayfair.
The main sponsor of ‘A Portrait of Stockport’ is local business and leading North West law firm, SAS Daniels, which has offices in Stockport, Chester, Macclesfield and Congleton.
The exhibition will feature a 20 minute video on Helen and her work made by Tony Halton Films. Accompanying the exhibition is the first major monograph on the artist, ‘In the Light of Buildings’, authored by Andrew Lambirth and published by Lund Humphries.
Artist Helen Clapcott said ‘It’s 50 years since I sat by the side of the Viaduct painting the mills, 40 years since the Power Station was untangled and demolished and 30 years since the motorway was completed. Stockport my home town with its ever-changing topography is as inspiring today as it was when I first set out with a sketchbook. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to hold a retrospective exhibition of my work at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery.’
Cllr Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport at Stockport Council, said: “Helen is one of the most exciting artists in the North West today and it’s very fitting that her paintings of Stockport will be on display at the War Memorial Art Gallery for local people to enjoy. Our time as Greater Manchester Town of Culture has left a lasting legacy and attracting artists of Helen’s calibre to the town is fantastic and testament to our reputation as a first-class cultural destination.”
Katie Hodson, partner, head of employment and joint head of Stockport office at SAS Daniels, added: “As a firm, we are passionate about supporting our local communities. Sponsoring this landmark exhibition at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, local to our Stockport office, is a fitting way to celebrate the town and champion some of Helen Clapcott’s most captivating works. The gallery has a long history of exhibitions from some of the art world’s finest artists, and ‘A Portrait of Stockport’ will offer a special insight into the entire oeuvre of Helen’s career.”
The exhibition is being staged with support and funding from Stockport Council. The War Memorial Art Gallery has received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery was opened by HRH Prince Henry on October 15, 1925. The gallery is a vibrant, contemporary art space with an extensive exhibition program of local, national and international significance, displaying works by some of the art world’s major artists as well as giving emerging artists a chance to showcase their work.