COLCHESTER.- Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, John Nash … just a few of the artists associated with the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing established in 1940 by Cedric Morris and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines in their home, Benton End.

Through the 1940s and 1950s Benton End, a Grade II listed 16th-century house located on the outskirts of Hadleigh in Suffolk, became the centre of a diverse community of 20th-century artists, writers, and horticulturalists.

An exhibition at Art Fund Museum of the Year winner, Firstsite, showcases for the first time the network of artists and cultural figures with links to the art school Morris and Lett-Haines created, its influence in the formation of the Colchester Art Society, and the inspirational way of life and approach to teaching and gardening encouraged by Morris and Lett-Haines.

This wide-ranging presentation, made in partnership with Colchester Art Society features over 100 artworks, including works by Morris and Lett-Haines, drawn from collections from across the UK. Alongside these are artworks by artists who studied at Benton End - David Carr, Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, Frances Hodgkin, Valerie Thornton, and Denis Wirth-Miller among others - on loan from collections including the Arts Council Collection, Jerwood Collection, Colchester + Ipswich Museum, Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, and a number of private collections.

Benton End afforded space for Morris, Lett-Haines and many of their students to live as well as work at the school. This contributed to a communal atmosphere and an inspiring approach to learning with the free exchange of artistic ideas and techniques. The exhibition shows Morris as educator with non-conformist views who refused to distinguish between professional and amateur.




Morris also grew rare and exotic plants at Benton End, which he collected on expeditions to the Mediterranean and North Africa and in many cases introduced to cultivation in Britain for the first time. He planted them in an idiosyncratic style which some view as an extension of his work as a painter. The garden Morris created, and the plants he grew, influenced many important figures in British horticulture – frequent visitor Vita Sackville-West grew his irises at Sissinghurst, Beth Chatto was mentored by Morris with a large proportion of the plants in her world-famous garden at nearby Elmstead Market originating from Benton End.

The exhibition will provide visitors with an opportunity to be creative with workshops taking place throughout the run of the exhibition, which will take inspiration from the life created by Morris and Lett-Haines at Benton End. Alongside art-based activities these workshops will include wellbeing, cooking and gardening.

Although it is not currently open to the public, Benton End has recently been purchased by the Pinchbeck Foundation with plans for its reopening as a centre for art and horticulture, administered by the Garden Museum.

Firstsite Director Sally Shaw says “Life with Art brings together a stunning selection of paintings, sculptures, etchings and drawings - showcasing the amazing artists and creative talent which emanates from East Anglia, with the subjects of many of the artworks also celebrating the beautiful landscapes of the region. The exhibition will surround visitors with these incredible artworks, creating an inspiring space which evokes a real sense of Benton End.

“The influence of Benton End has been so far reaching, playing an important role in the cultural life of not only Colchester and East Anglia, but much more widely. Morris was the only person of his generation to achieve national status as both an artist and a gardener, and our exhibition will explore how these two disciplines intertwined to form one of the most remarkable artistic environments of the 20th-century.

She added “Benton End had a similar ethos to Firstsite in that we also believe that absolutely everyone is creative. It was also ahead of its time in its focus on wellbeing and the positive benefits art can bring to people – something we also reflect through everything we do at Firstsite. This exhibition and our series of workshops connected to the exhibition are all designed to help our community explore and develop the creativity which is in everyone, and discover how using your imagination can help us all to feel better, think differently and find new connections and commonalities with other people. ”