Adrian Ryan

Freud, Minton, Ryan: unholy trinity

This unique exhibition celebrates the life of Adrian Ryan (1920-1998) and his friends John Minton (1917-1957) and Lucian Freud (1922-2011).

In the tight community of the art world of pre-war London, the three artists were colleagues and friends. As ambitious figurative painters with – at first – hopeful and promising career trajectories, all three explored a relaxed intimacy behind closed doors, especially during the war years.

After Minton's suicide Ryan and Freud drifted apart, which may have contributed towards the significance of the lonely figure in their work. This theme will be explored in the exhibition alongside the three artists’ developing practise, from some of their earliest paintings up to Minton's death in 1957.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue and a specially commissioned film, which is available to view on The Victoria Art Gallery website.

Freud, Minton, Ryan: unholy trinity is a collaboration between The Victoria Art Gallery and Falmouth Art Gallery and has been generously supported by the Art Fund and the Garfield Weston Foundation.