This spring, the works of talented local Anglo-Florentine artist John Griffiths (1970-2015) will be displayed alongside paintings by leading female Abstract Expressionists from The Levett Collection in the ground-floor exhibition space at The British Institute of Florence.
With a deep understanding of colour palettes, composition and light, these artists communicate their thoughts and emotions as well as sharing portraits of loved ones and landscapes through their sensitive and expert use of colour. Griffiths, a diversely abled artist, overcame significant physical challenges to communicate through his work in a similar fashion to how the selected female artists defied social and artistic convention in their ground-breaking work. Eleven paintings by John Griffiths will be exhibited alongside five important works by American Abstract Expressionist artists Elaine de Kooning, Pat Passlof, Audrey Flack, Ethel Schwabacher and Joan Mitchell. Full of light and energy, Speaking Through Colour will shine brightly at lungarno Guicciardini at Sotto al British, the contemporary arts space of The British Institute of Florence.
“John was born in 1970 and was regarded all his life as disabled, unable to read or write and with limited speech,” commented Alessandra and Michael Griffiths, John’s parents. “Later in life, he became a resident at the Centro Terapeutio Europeo, a community for the disabled at Torri in Rignano sull’Arno, near Florence, run by Franca Pratesi, where one of the care workers, Stefano, gave him a paint brush. From that moment, his genius flowed. He produced about 30 increasingly abstract paintings of landscapes, animals, nature and family with a marvellous sense of colour and adept brush strokes. Today’s exhibition shows the fruits of his work, and we are excited to share his extraordinary paintings with a discerning Florentine public.”
Christian Levett, art collector, remarked: “When Michael and Alessandra Griffiths visited me to show me a catalogue of John’s work, with a suggestion to form an exhibition for him, I was stunned. I was blown away by the sheer colour and quality of the compositions. Immediately, I had the idea of showing these fine paintings alongside some works of the top female abstract painters, from the birth of the Abstract Expressionist period: artists that had major New York Gallery shows in their day and major museum shows since. On visiting and seeing John’s work live, I was not surprised to see that the quality again shone through in person. The curation of this show will be unique in its subject matter and enthralling in its story and visually stunning at the same time. It is a must-see on the springtime Florentine art calendar.”
“The British Institute creates space for cultural dialogue between Florence and the world,” said Simon Gammell, director of The British Institute. “We are thrilled to host this fascinating exhibition in our new Sotto space as part of our programme of social and cultural engagement in the city.”
The exhibition will be open March 7 to April 10, Monday to Friday 2.30 to 6.30pm and Saturday 10am to 12.30pm. Free entrance, with donations going to the CTE (Centro Terapeutio Europeo) where Griffiths learnt to paint.
