2024-04-29 06:15:00
Ron Gittins’ family discover artwork after his death/Historic England
2024.04.29 Monday published at 3:15 p.m. JST
London (CNN) The rented property where the eccentric artist lived and secretly renovated for 30 years was officially protected by the British government five years after his death.
Shortly after Ron Gittins died in September 2019 at the age of 79, his family visited his flat in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, in the northwest of England. Gittins had lived here since the mid-1980s.
When the bereaved family saw the play, they were completely stunned. Gittins had filled almost the entire room with numerous hand-painted murals depicting historical ornaments and scenes. These included paintings depicting ancient Egypt and Georgian England, fireplaces shaped like giant gaping lion and minotaur heads, and even a Roman bread oven.
Huge minotaur head with open mouth/historical England
Gittins, who had no formal artistic training, lived on the ground floor of a Victorian cottage consisting of a hallway, kitchen, bathroom and three bedrooms, but he rarely wished to invite someone at home. This was an even more surprising discovery.
It wasn’t until after his death that they finally understood why, his niece Jean Williams said.
“The house was completely destroyed and you couldn’t even get in the door,” Williams said in a phone interview with CNN.
Williams said his uncle was “flamboyant” and “very eccentric” and could often be seen walking around town dressed up, looking for bags of cement and other items and loading them into shopping carts.
“That’s one of the reasons my family was estranged from my uncle,” Williams said, adding that the last time he saw Gittins was a year before he died.
“Even though my uncle’s actions were quite difficult to deal with, my family still loved him and took great care of him,” Williams said.
A carefully decorated Georgian room/historic England
Every room in the apartment was filled with bags, boxes, books, art supplies, food wrappers and more. Some of the large quantities of handwritten notes were written in code.
Williams ultimately launched the Ron’s Place relief campaign with fellow artist and partner Chris Teasdale, who cooperates with the mobile gallery. The campaign was supported by friends, relatives, artists and people working in the field of cultural heritage.
The couple set up the Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust and began crowdfunding through the Ron’s Place website. We applied for registration as a designated building and ultimately purchased the whole building last year.
The building has now been recognized as a Level 2 listed building by the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of national heritage conservation organization Historic England.
In an email to CNN, a spokesperson for Historic England explained the significance of the listed building. “The listing of Ron’s Place on the National Heritage List for England highlights and celebrates the importance of this unique place and helps to ensure that its importance is not diminished by any changes that may occur in the future.
His niece Jean Williams described Gittins as “flamboyant” and “very eccentric”./Historic England
“I’m sure Ron would be jumping for joy,” Williams said of his late uncle.
“My uncle was what you might call a performance artist. The apartment he built was its own set, its own secret world.”
“My uncle had mental health issues and was unstable at times,” Williams said. “I think his art and his desire to create kept him going.”
The apartment is currently the subject of work aimed at “stabilizing and preserving” the works with a view to opening a “mini-museum”. Meanwhile, Williams said the trust hopes to expand other leased parts of the building and transform it into “an integrated arts and creative space”.
In the future, it is planned to open it to other artists, and it is also possible to carry out expansion projects, such as a garden or a basement.
“While I was sorting through my uncle’s belongings after his death, I found a postcard addressed to me. She said, “I want to show you what I was working on,” but the address was different, so I couldn’t accept it. I wasn’t capable of doing that. It’s heartbreaking. Now I’m trying to catch up. “(Williams)
According to Historic England, Ron’s Place was the first work of “outsider art” to be registered as a heritage site in England.
Jean Williams/Chris Teasdale sorting Gittins’ belongings
Regarding outsider art, which is an internationally recognized artistic phenomenon, the Tate states: “Outside art is often created by people who have not received artistic training or who have worked outside the scope of artistic production existing. rustic in character. In most cases, artists create works for themselves, without an audience.
Historic England said in a statement: “By being listed as a historic monument, Ron’s work is recognized as an example of outsider art that exists in England. His work is motivated by a personal, sometimes impulsive, vision. » The majority of these artists created their work under the influence of mainstream artists, have received no formal training, and are unaffected by mainstream influence.
There are many fans of Gittins’ work, including Jarvis Cocker, the lead singer of the indie band Pulp. It also supports apartment preservation activities.
You can barely see what’s going on inside from the entrance/Historic England
After hearing about the listing, Cocker, who is also a sponsor of Ron’s Place, said in a Historic England statement: “There are still many people on this planet who don’t know that Ron’s Place is a place very special. “But as of today, Ron’s Place is officially a listed building!”
“The work of an eccentric gentleman from the north of England has become known in the United Kingdom and indeed around the world. Hallelujah!” (Mr. Cocker)
Williams is proud of his uncle’s accomplishments and hopes he can leave an impact on future generations.
“My uncle encouraged me and made me think that being creative and unconventional was normal, and I’m grateful for that,” Williams said. “Even though my uncle never held a job for long and did not have a stable long-term income, he had a rich imagination and a strong desire to create. I want to pass this on to others, I want them to be rich. I want them to see the potential in the people around them and think about how they can use it.
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