Thorn Heads

1944

Commissioned by Walter Hussey to paint “The Crucifixion”

Walter Hussey, vicar (other accounts say canon) of St Matthew’s Church in Northampton and an important patron of modern religious art, commissions “The Crucifixion” from him. It becomes his first major religious painting and his first large figure study.

1944

Sent to France to depict raid damage

In December 1944 he is sent to France to depict the damage inflicted by the RAF on the railway yards at Trappes and on the flying bomb sites at Saint-Leu-d’Esserent.

1946

First exhibition in New York

His first New York exhibition is held in 1946. That same year he also teaches painting at Goldsmiths’ School of Art.

spring 1947

First trip through the south of France: Picasso and Matisse

In spring 1947 he travels through the south of France for the first time, visits Antibes and meets Picasso and Matisse in person. The landscapes of the Côte d’Azur make a strong impression on him: from then until the 1960s he spends several months on the Riviera every year.

1948–1954

Trustee of the Tate Gallery

Serves as a trustee of the Tate Gallery in London from 1948 to 1954; other accounts say he became a member of its board in 1949.