German Expressionism in London
Hubert Roestenburg considers England to be his second home. He lived and worked there for many years. London is where he painted his famous cityscapes (the one shown at the bottom of the page is the only one still in the artist’s possession).
Exhibition at the Garden Museum
An especially memorable event from those years was the 1992 exhibition in London, in The Garden Museum (formerly known as the Museum of Garden History) on Lambeth Palace Road, adjacent to Lambeth Palace. This was the first time German Expressionism got this much attention in London.
The exhibition was a great success. Hubert Roestenburg, already an established figure in the British art-world got a chance to show his work to the general public in London.
Looking at the painting in the poster (which has long been sold), we get a good sense what the fuss was all about. Expressionist landscape painting at its very best.
What we see here is one of his turbulent landscapes. This is Roestenburg at the top of his game; not just painting the landscape, but setting it on fire!
Lord Montagu of Beaulieu,
a dear friend of the artist and fellow antique automobile collector was kind enough to be a last minute stand-in for Lord Carrington who was scheduled to open the exhibition but was called away on a diplomatic mission to assist with peace negotiations in former Yugoslavia.
From the London years an expressionist cityscape
The painting below is a prime example of the sheer power of expression that Hubert Roestenburg brings to all his paintings. Here we are made to really “feel” the city. All the elements come to life. The people, the sky, the water, the buildings and the boats, it all comes rushing over us.
Docklands Canary Wharf is located on the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs.
Click images to enlarge and to learn more about each individual painting
