Review: ‘Sussex Modernism’ at Towner Eastbourne

Gallery view of 'Maternity' by Jacob Epstein and 'Day’s Work, Day’s Rest' by Ivon Hitchens.

There’s a debate to be had over what the popular imagination of Sussex is. Do we collectively envision quaint villages, bucket-and-spade resort towns, and a general small ‘c’ conservative mentality (just don’t mention rebellious child Brighton)? I’ve long been interested in the pockets of twentieth century modernism that offers a counter to these dominant narratives. The Bloomsbury Group - for whom Sussex became a countryside retreat - are the most obvious example. As is the unmissable international-style alien of the De La Warr Pavilion on the otherwise traditional Bexhill seaside. 

Quite often my references have associated the county’s history of radical modernism with the broader international movement of the period. Sussex Modernism at Towner offered a deeper insight, contending that the modernists associated with the county purposefully embraced regionalism and provinciality as a counter to the metropolitan cultural flattening that might otherwise be associated with the movement.

Curated by Dr Hope Wolf (University of Sussex), and expanding on an earlier exhibition at Two Temple Place in London, this exhibition delivered an expansive definition of modernism, deviating from a strict focus on the first half of the twentieth century to take us through to work by contemporary artists. Whilst Towner’s collection on the topic is inevitably strong, there are some omissions that I detect may have born out of a failure to secure agreements with other galleries for their blockbuster pieces. It largely works in favour of the exhibition’s raison d'etre though, even if this might disappoint those seeking a more comprehensive overview of the topic.

Some daring choices were made that pay off, such as the conversation ignited by hanging a Morris & Co tapestry alongside a painting by neo-naturist Jennifer Binnie. Edward Burne-Jones’ design of 'Pomona' (1886) - the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards - for the Arts & Crafts pioneers sits invitingly beside the enchantingly mysterious 'Red Woman' (2023).

Gallery view of 'Pomona' by Edward Burne-Jones (left), 'Red Woman' by Jennifer Binnie (centre), and 'Soul Vessel' by Alexi Marshall (right).

Similarly we find the pairing of Jacob Epstein’s monumental sculptures - notably 'Maternity' (1910) - with Ivon Hitchens’ abstract mural 'Day’s Work, Day’s Rest' (1960). The vibrancy of the latter’s colourful wax and oil painting framing the untreated grey stone of the former is a striking contrast, but even more interesting is the dialogue between the rhythms of labour in the Sussex landscape depicted by Hitchens, and the undertaking of motherhood in Epstein’s.

Epstein’s sculptures were intended for a fantastical project to produce a Stonehenge for Sussex, an idea dreamed up alongside Eric Gill, and one that points to the commitment these modernists had to the county, and the enrichment of its credentials. 

Hitchens’ love of the county is demonstrated through the story of the mural’s creation after the artist was impressed by the ongoing construction of Basil Spence’s Falmer campus of the University of Sussex. He was even quoted as saying he would have chosen to study at the university if he were still a student given its collection of innovative buildings dotted across the location’s rolling hills.

The exhibition offers up various mediums for study, from the ethereal landscape photography of Bill Brandt, the Vorticist surrealism of Edward Wadsworth’s 'Light Sections' (1940), and the particularly enthusing addition of Antony Penrose’s surrealist film Strange Behaviour (1980). Penrose - the son of photographer Lee Miller, whose work is currently having a renaissance – offers an entertaining aberration from London-bound commuter life so commonly associated with this region. The music video for David Bowie’s 'Ashes to Ashes' (1980), filmed on the Sussex coast, is also shown, drawing the musician and his visuals – still listed as one the most expensive video’s ever made - into a convincing argument for how Sussex modernism extends far beyond the interwar period.

Gallery view of 'River Cuckmere' by Bill Brandt.

Whilst the foray into contemporary work is of interest, on occasion the exhibition misses. I’m a fan of Larry Archiampong, recently having the privilege to attend a talk on his artistic practice. In this context however, 'Reliquary 2' (2020) felt outdated and out of place. A treatise on familial separation as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the meditative film features his familiar astronaut character wandering around the crumbling West Pier of Brighton. Only five years old, the piece feels oddly irrelevant, and to frame it in any way as modernist seems deliberately obtuse and does a disservice to Archiampong’s often powerful work.

Contrast this with the impactful hanging of Sophie Barber‘s 'Kendrick Loves Camber Sands' (2021). The displacement of a figure like Kendrick Lamar exclaiming his love for the peripheral Camber Sands is not only funny, but in keeping with the global-regional questions that the exhibition grapples with.

Gallery view of 'Kendrick Loves Camber Sands' by Sophie Barber.

It was also a shame to find a lack of interest in architectural modernism, with only a photo from Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy‘s visit to the De La Warr Pavilion featuring as a highlight. His image captures the contrast of the new and the old, with the brick houses of Bexhill knowingly reflected in the glass entrance door of the pavilion.

Other than this, architectural offers are limited, which seems odd when you could offer up Saltdean Lido or the wealth of modernism in Brighton such as Embassy Court or the art deco former home of the Brighton Centre of Wellbeing on Ovingdean’s cliffs - all of which I passed on the bus on my way from Brighton. Charleston, West Dean, Farleys, Ditchling, and Glyndebourne get passing mentions, but only as the homes, workplaces, or colleges of the artists involved. No case is made for why even Towner itself (the building, rather than its output) feeds into the modernist story in the county.

I ended up in the gallery for the best part of two hours, fortunately as my visit coincided with a lunchtime talk by Towner’s Caitlin Yapp, who offered an insight into two of the works of Vanessa Bell and Eric Ravilious – the former’s Alfriston poster design commissioned by Shell (1931), and the latter’s 'The Long Man of Wilmington' (1939).

I’ve been impressed by the range of shows offered by Towner in recent years, leading up to its recognition as the shared winner of the 2020 Art Fund Museum of the Year award, and host of the 2023 Turner Prize. Curators there are blessed with a stunning canvas of a building and the ability to host a surprisingly original programme for a town of this size. 

Unfortunately for anyone encouraged to seek out the show, my visit took place on the final weekend of the exhibition. But I am looking forward to make my next trip down to Eastbourne for the coming J.M.W. Turner exhibition that promises to offer interesting dialogues with his contemporaries. And for anyone seeking out interesting takes on modernism, I’m greatly anticipating Tate Modern’s Nigerian Modernism exhibition opening shortly.