“Unconsidered Wastelands” at London’s Osborne Samuel Gallery is a major retrospective of works by British painter Prunella Clough who is widely appreciated as one of the most significant British artists of the post-war period. The exhibition follows the retrospective exhibition of her work in 2007 at the Tate Britain in London.Although widely exhibited, critically acclaimed, and highly respected amongst her peers, Clough is not anywhere near as well known to the public as she deserves to be. According to Gordon Samuel, owner of Osborne Samuel, she was always reserved and reticent about acclaim, fashion, and promotion and might have been ambivalent about a laudatory exhibition.“Unconsidered Wastelands” brings together an exceptional collection of over 70 paintings and works on paper, mostly from Osborne Samuel’s own stock but some generously lent by private collectors. Highlights include “Still Life with Yellow Marrows,” 1948, “Gaswork 1 (Industrial Plant),” 1953, and “Chinese Chequers,” 1989.The exhibition catalogue can be viewed here.To find out more about Prunella Clough and “Unconsidered Wastelands,” which is on show until May 16, BLOUIN ARTINFO got in touch with Gordon Samuel and asked him a few questionsYour Prunella Clough retrospective is titled “Unconsidered Wastelands.” Could you explain the origins of the title and what it reveals about the exhibition?It was a phrase she used; from the 1930s she began to photographing slag heaps, tarpaulins, piles of ropes and stains on walls – things usually considered unworthy of photographic record. These source photographs informed her drawings and studies she made when preparing her paintings. When we were searching for a title like Frances Spalding’s book on Clough, ‘Regions Unmapped,’ this phrase ‘unconsidered wasteland’ was just perfect and summed up her subject matter from the 1930s through to her death in 1999.Prunella Clough is widely appreciated as one of the most significant British artists of the post-war period. What is it about her work that stands out and sets her apart?To me she is quite unique as a painter. She didn’t follow fashion or trends like Abstract Expressionism that was shown in London in the 1950s. She didn’t, as far as I can see, respond to the de Stael exhibition that influenced so many British artist in the 1950s. She didn’t steer off her path when minimalism prevailed or predominated. Her subject matter of urban landscape and decay is clearly seen through her career – it began with representational works in the late 1930s and 40s and although the late works appear abstract the subject is the same.Although widely exhibited, critically acclaimed, and highly respected amongst her peers, she is not anywhere near as well known to the public as she deserves to be. Why is this the case?She was reticent about discussing her work; she was self-effacing and the last person to promote her work. Money and fame weren’t on her agenda – only the work and the viewer either ‘get it’ or doesn’t if that makes sense! I suppose she was the very antithesis of contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst or Jeff Koons. In fact she gave very few interviews in her career, the most in depth being with her friend Bryan Robertson.What was the motivation and influence behind your exhibition and what did you want to reveal and express about her work?I’ve been dealing in her work since I began my career and knew her reasonably well. I found that we had about 8-10 in stock. I was then offered a small collection that included some Keith Vaughan works and about 7-8 Cloughs and found that I had the core of an exhibition. Fortunately, I knew collectors who had Cloughs, and I spent the past 18 months building the show. Initially, I was concerned that I had too few and perhaps more slanted to the 1950s. Then as my search progressed I discovered I had about 70 works and became concerned that I couldn’t exhibit them all but thankfully it became a comprehensive show that charts her career from 1930 through to the 1990.You first met the artist in the early 1970s. What was your most memorable encounter with her?I was compiling an exhibition of British Printmaking 1945-1965 in the mid-1980s and asked her about including her early prints of which I’d only seen a few. “Oh no!” she said, “No one will be interested, I promise you.” She was always very self-effacing! I said that I was interested! She said no more on that occasion but, a few weeks later, she stopped by with a brown paper folder that contained several lithographs and etchings of the cranes and fishermen. I compiled a catalogue and illustrated them all; the exhibition was a huge success and four of Pru’s prints were bought by the British Museum.
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