Hilary on the Green

Last night, we went to the opening of a retrospective exhibition of the work of Hilary Gialerakis (1924-2003) which included her paintings, drawing and the launch of a book of her letters and writings. It was the first major retrospective of her work - work which had enjoyed critical acclaim during the 1950s through to the 1970s. The exhibition was curated by her daughter Antonia Gialerakis, who is also the editor of the book, “Hilary: An Unquiet Spirit”. The exhibition is at the OSO Centre on Barnes Green - hence the title Hilary on the Green - a lovely hiddenaway space overlooking a leafy green and a quiet pond in the charming London village of Barnes.

The late Gialerakis had a multi-fusion background. She was born in the UK but in her childhood lived in Switzerland, Portugal, Spain and France - moving to warmer and healtheri climates for her health. She studied art the two major London art schools, Central and St Martins Schools of Art and then moved to South Africa with her first husband, the artist Vere Holden-White. Her professional name comes from her second husband, actor Andrew Gialerakis, who is South African but of Greek heritage. Our connection to this event is through Andrew and his second wife, stage director, Patti Gialerakis. The evening was an opportunity for us to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones amid the crowd of artists and theatre people with a South African connection, which included Janet Suzman - and discover the paintings and writings of Gialerakis in a personal way. And for me, experiencing an exhibition where I know the artist or the people who have a connection to the artist is quite a different, much more personal experience, than one where I’m just going along as the member of the public so I found this event quite a moving one.

Gialerakis’s style has Cubist elements, which infused with the dream-like quality of the images, is at times beautiful, at times haunting and occasionally disturbing. I loved the Girl with the Unicorn painting that you can see in the photo behind Antonia - there is a wistfulness and a sense of fleeting tranquillity to it. It contrasts strongly with another painting in the collection of a piece of driftwood that seems to loom and reach out at the viewer with clawlike tendrils. In her pen and ink drawings, rock formations writhe with tortured human forms. From what Antonia told me about her mother, these contrasting images seem to reflect that dualistic aspect of this gifted artist who had what Antonia called a “Sylvia Plath-like” life. “It was challenging, shall we say, going through her letters and writings to bring together in a book, ” Antonia told me. “There’s a lot of difficult, all-emotions-bared stuff in the book. It was hard for all of us - for my father and me and I imagine for Patti. But my father said to me: those are her words, you mustn’t cut them, if you want to tell her story through her eyes.”

Here is an extract from the book. Gialerakis is writing about her first husband Vere Holden-White during sessions where she is sitting for him:

“[Vere] looks wilder than ever, is not laughting and appears to be angry. He tries with angry, clumsy violence, to make love to me - and fails repeatedly and finally chases me downstairs into the night, cursing horribly…. I spend much of my time here being painted by Vere during the day. He makes me sit quite still for hours and hours without a break, which is horribly exhausting but I do not dare move or he will hit me…. His behaviour towards me consists of terrifying menal burtality, suddenly followed by extraordinary tenderness, consideration and general expressions of love.” (pages 77-78)

Gialerakis’s tumultous personal life and dark images contrasted starkly with the people gathered at the OSO Centre on that mild September evening. The exhibition was the culmination of 5 years planning and preparation for Antonia, Gialerakis’s daughter. Andrew and Patti had come over the week before from Crete to help with the final preparations - the picture hanging and all the details in the organisation of the event that need doing in the last few days. Their friends and colleagues were all there sipping wine and laughing as a jazz band played in the background. The personal pain of one woman had become art that spoke to many and also drew many into its fold. Looking around last night, I was struck by how artists find release through their art and somehow transform emotion and mood and pain into something beyond the horror or tragedy of the lived experience - and in so doing, can bring people together through their art in a way that reaches beyond their fragile selves.

Antonia has kindly donated a signed copy of her book, “Hillary: An Unquiet Spirit” for the Fusion View prize draw. Click here to find out how to win this signed copy.

The exhibition continues at the OSO Centre from 19-21 September.