Festival Exhibition: Alfred Cohen

The Sainsbury Centre is proud to present a selection of works by Alfred Cohen (1920 - 2001), a remarkable colourist and draughtsman, who settled in Norfolk in the last quarter of the 20th century. This exhibition explores the theme of ‘light and water’, strongly conveyed in Cohen’s work of the Thames, the channel coasts and the Norfolk area.

Born in America, Cohen served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II, developing a particular love of the aerial view which had a profound impact on his later compositions. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and was awarded a fellowship to study in Europe in 1949. Initially, he moved to Paris where he had a critically-acclaimed solo exhibition before later settling in London. His exhibition at the Ben Uri in 1958 was the first of several sell-out shows in London. In the 60s and 70s Cohen exhibited at the Brook Street Gallery and at Roland, Browse and Delbanco in Cork Street. Consisting of vivid colour his oil paintings capture the dramatic effects of light on the land, sea and townscapes.

In 1978 he moved to Wighton, North Norfolk, where he converted a former schoolhouse into a studio, a print workshop and an art gallery. Cohen continued painting, drawing, etching and producing screenprints until his death on 25 January 2001 in King’s Lynn. His work is represented by major public collections in Britain and abroad.

In partnership with the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts