The Plymouth exhibition positions Cook within a broader art-historical context, exploring the inspirations and references that shaped her work. Alongside Stanley Spencer and Edward Burra – both known for their stylised depictions of the human body – her visual touchstones included Modigliani, Tamara de Lempicka, and the seaside postcards of Donald McGill and Mabel Lucie Attwell. Works by Bruegel the Elder and Rubens also feature. “When you look at how these artists are representing bodies, and then at how Beryl is representing bodies, there’s a lot of affinity there,” says Walkup.
This time, the reviews from critics aren’t withering, but effusive. Giving the exhibition a five-star review, the Guardian says: “the appeal is so obvious. Cook makes life look fun”.
If Cook herself was still here, it’s doubtful she’d care about all the fuss. While her paintings command attention, Cook shunned it. Famously shy, she didn’t go to the opening of her own exhibitions, rarely gave interviews and declined the chance to collect her OBE from Buckingham Palace, preferring a more low-key ceremony in Plymouth.
In contrast to those she painted, she lived a quiet life. A self-portrait in the new exhibition shows her feeding her pet tortoises in the garden. “I would quite like to be the one singing and dancing drunkenly in the middle of a crowd,” she once admitted. Instead, she lived vicariously through her characters – just as her fans continue to do.
Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy is at The Box, Plymouth, UK, until 31 May.
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