I am delighted to welcome an exhibition devoted to the work of internationally renowned British painters, Sir Christopher Le Brun and Charlotte Verity to The Gallery at Windsor. Christopher held a solo exhibition here in 2017, when he was President of the Royal Academy of Arts. It is a great pleasure to have Christopher back in Windsor to exhibit for a second time, and to Charlotte for her first. Meeting at the Slade School of Fine Art, London in the 1970s they have since developed a rich artistic dialogue arising from years of shared experience, which is expressed by distinct painterly sensibilities.
Le Brun’s work is led by his imagination, revealing a commitment to the essential pleasure of painting for its own sake, its processes and physicality. By contrast, Verity’s lucid compositions, born from hours of close observation and intense looking, distil a precise yet capacious vision of the world. Together, this exhibition will introduce you to how collectively exceptional their work is. Robin Vousden, a highly celebrated curator, former gallery director and long-time friend of the artists, has worked closely with them, on this, their first major joint exhibition. His insight-ful and engaging essay for this catalogue draws fascinating connections between them and a wider historical context.
To coordinate an exhibition at this level requires an expert team. I extend thanks to my staff at Windsor, particularly Jane Smalley, to the albertz benda gallery in New York, to Nicola Togneri our exhibition coordinator and Mark Thomson for designing this wonderful catalogue, his sixth publication for The Gallery at Windsor. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to Christopher and Charlotte for embracing our invitation to exhibit together. This unique show promises to be full of personal observation, profound connection, and aesthetic discovery.
The Hon. Hilary M. Weston, CM, CVO, OOnt
