Wilfred Avery and the Unpredictable Image

by Francesca Ramsay

The painter and collagist Wilfred Avery (1926-2016) tackled just two subjects in his career: landscape and the male body. A sixty-year investigation into both developed out of his fascination with the unconscious mind as well as an exploration (and acceptance) of his own sexuality. By the end of his life – one led with a rare and intense creative focus – he had unified his two chosen subjects into one compelling whole.