David Bomberg exhibition, Waterhouse & Dodd

Now commanding over £1 million at auction, David Bomberg stands alongside the greatest British artists of the 20^th century. Closely aligned to the Vorticist group in his early pre-First World War painting days, Bomberg would go on to heavily influence a second generation of figurative artists including Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach.

Following the success of two recent exhibitions presenting David Bomberg’s work in the context of the Borough group, Waterhouse & Dodd celebrate the 60th anniversary of his death with a solo exhibition of the British artist’s paintings and drawings drawn solely from one magnificent British collection.


David Bomberg, Detail: Family Group, 1919

The chronological survey will showcase Bomberg's metamorphosing style, from the bright colours, bold lines, and psychedelic grids of his angular pre-WW1 cubism to the sombre Middle Eastern landscapes of his post-war travels. While his early angular figurative works earned him quick success, fame was curtailed due to the outbreak of war.

Fresh from the trauma of the trenches, and disillusioned with the mechanical future of post-war Britain, his work became softer, instinctual and suddenly neglected, both commercially and critically. However, these hesitant landscape pieces, full of burnt orange hills and farmlands at sunset, mark a rare and often ignored period in Bomberg’s development. Deemed desperately unfashionable throughout the 60s and 70s, Bomberg's talent would remain neglected and under appreciated until the 80s.


David Bomberg, Study for Reading from the Torah, (double sided), 1913

Thankfully the tables are turning, and his genius is being appreciated once more. Waterhouse & Dodd’s showcase provides a rare insight into the artistic trajectory of this once neglected painter, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the riches of one collector's artfully curated collection collated over a ten year period.

You don’t need to be a beloved fan of the cubist-expressionist to enjoy this one - it’s just a joy to look at.