Jo Brocklehurst - ‘Not just the Egon Schiele of Punk’
Blondes Fine Art, located in Widford Hertfordshire, are holding a selling exhibition of work from the studio collection of Jo Brocklehurst. While her work has been the subject of exhibitions in the past this is the first time such a group has been offered for sale. It is amazing to think that those original Mohican haired punks of the era are now in their 60’s so its time for them, and the rest of us, to remember those times on the Kings Road, Chelsea and Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren and the Sex Pistols .
The exhibition features 30 works and runs from 1st October until the end of November.
During the late 1970’s and early 80’s Brocklehurst exhibited in London with the Francis Kyle Gallery, in Amsterdam with the Wave Gallery and in New York with the prestigious Castelli Gallery. She was highly regarded, often being likened to Egon Schiele .
The exhibition at Blondes Fine Art runs in parallel to an exhibition entitled ‘Trailblazers’ at Illustration Embassy, Westergas, Amsterdam which features her work amongst other illustrators. That exhibition focuses on an exceptional generation of illustrators from the 20th century that were frustrated by the state of the world and engaged themselves around specific issues of their time (all of which are still relevant today). From racial discrimination, political memory, human and animal rights, economic rights, to gender, social and thinking norms, these illustrators cared and made images to make others care. The exhibition will focus on the strength of their unconventional gaze and the way they shaped our vision of society.
Jo Brocklehurst’s drawings of the punks who lived close to her in West Hampstead during the late 1970’s and early 80’s are perhaps the most well known of her output and the ones that led to her being referred to as the Egon Schiele of punk. However, she drew every day of her life and documented individuals’ expression of gender, she was also a feminist, activist and someone who championed those subcultures on the outside and periphery of society therefore, her work resonates with todays younger generation.
Jo Brocklehurst was born into humble beginnings, her mother was a housekeeper in London and her birth certificate does not name a father. At school she excelled at both sport and art and represented England at Discus throwing.
She was a beautiful young woman and had many admirers including famous athletes and international royalty.
She attended Central Saint Martins School of Art when it was located in Soho and she went on to document the sex workers, peep shows and broadly the sub culture and underworld of the non conformist society emerging in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
She was also intrigued by the nighttime jazz community and was a friend of George Melly.
Another area of interest was the emerging underground fetish scene in London and she attended Torture Garden Club - still going today and part of a thriving scene - to draw the clientele way before photography was permitted. Many of her friends and the students from Central Saint Martins would go to the club to show off their new extreme designs and creations and Jo would draw them. She had purchased some fluorescent pens on a trip to New York, where she also exhibited, and would sit in the corner drawing with these so she could see her marks under the UV lights of the club. She was totally accepted by the club goers and became well known to many famous Pop singers and those in the dance and club scenes .
Jo’s ability to draw quickly and with style led to her being commissioned by the Berliner Zeitung Newspaper to cover the annual avant-garde theatre productions at Berliner Festspiele in 1999. Again she would sit in the dark drawing the productions and then go back to her rooms to finish the works before they were collected by a courier and rushed to the newspaper to be featured in the following mornings edition.
Jo Brocklehurst lived her life for her art, herself often only feeling comfortable with those on the edge off society. She has left a contribution to the world that is only just being acknowledged and fully appreciated.
The Exhibition is available to view by appointment so do contact Blondes Fine Art to arrange a visit. www.blondesfineart.com
