Born in Hove, Sussex in 1940, into a family of artists, John Hitchens' work took influence from the neighbouring South Downs, with scenes of the West Sussex landscape proving a particular favourite alongside the Scottish Highlands when on annual visits. His work focuses on expressing the patterns and textures of the landscape, later in an abstracted style.

Following in the footsteps of his father Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979) a renowned ‘modern British artist’ and his grandfather Alfred Hitchens (1861-1942) a respected academic artist, Hitchens attended Bedales School near Petersfield, Hampshire and then went on to study at the Bath Academy of Art.

 

Lot 344

John Hitchens - Sun Shadow Accents, 1966

Estimate £800 - £1,200

 

Early Career

The 1960s saw Hitchens hold a series of solo exhibitions, perhaps most noticeably with the Majorie Parr Gallery in London, with his first held in 1964. Opened in the previous year, for nearly 20 years, The Majorie Parr Gallery (then 285 Kings Road, Chelsea) championed young artists and sculptors including Peter Thursby, Elisabeth Frink, Enzo Plazzotta, Michael Andrews and Roger Leigh. His work from this period is often referred to as lyrical and ‘cloudscapes’ – the four lots offered in our 15th December Silver, Antiques and Collectables sale date from 1964 to 1969 and typify this style. Lot 347 retains the original Marjorie Parr Gallery label to the reverse, so we know this was exhibited and sold through the gallery.

Lot 345

John Hitchens - Grey Day Sea, 1964

Estimate £300 - £500

 

Evolving Style

The late 1970s, saw a change in his style. Instead of his previous emphasis of the sky, he began to abstract the landscape and flatten the perspective. His later works, often deemed from the 1990s onwards saw him change his viewpoint again, now focusing on the essential components of a landscape and reducing the viewpoint to basic forms in line and circle.

Lot 346

John Hitchens - Receding Hailstorm, 1965

Estimate £300 - £500

 

Exhibitions and Retrospective

He exhibited with the Majorie Parr Gallery for over a decade with exhibitions at the Ditching Gallery (1967-71), David Paul Gallery, Chichester (1967-82), and Gilbert Parr Gallery, Chelsea (1977-79).

 

Coinciding with his 80th birthday, March 2020 saw his first retrospective exhibition ‘Aspects of Landscape’ held at the Southampton City Art Gallery. It was the first overview of his work spanning a sixty year career.

Lot 347

John Hitchens - Rising Mists, 1969

Estimate £1,000 - £1,500

 

 

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