Thirty original paintings by members of the East London Group, paired with 20 new interpretations and responses from contemporary painters.

The East London Group created paintings in the 1920s and ’30s of buildings, streets, and London life. The artists were mostly working class, realist painters whose formal education had often stopped at an early age. The group were taught by Walter Sickert, John Albert Cooper, and Phyllis Bray and exhibited alongside prominent artists of the day.

Curated by the Urban Contemporaries Group, this book and accompanying exhibition features original paintings by members of the East London Group alongside contemporary paintings inspired by them, from leading artists working in the urban landscape tradition, including David Hepher, Doreen Fletcher, Tim Craven, Timothy Hyman, Philippa Beale, Nicole Poh, and Marc Gooderham.

The result is a showcase of surprising pairings of paintings from a group of artists that are steadily growing in popularity and reputation with fresh interpretations from a new generation of painters.

About The Author

The Urban Contemporaries Group was set up in 2019 by Ferha Farooqui and Frank Creber to bring together figurative painters interested in exploring the urban experience.

The Nunnery Gallery is a not-for-profit art space in Bow, East London, housed in a former nineteenth-century convent building, surrounded by artist studios.