Churchill College is hosting a free exhibition of the work of Albert Irvin, an eminent painter and Royal Academician.

Irvin’s work has been displayed at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition for several years, and previous exhibitions have been held at such notable venues as Tate Britain and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His work is extremely well-respected within the modern art community, and it is reported that Damien Hirst owns some of his paintings.

Irvin’s paintings are renowned for their arresting vibrancy. One visitor to the exhibition described the experience as similar to being “in the centre of a fireworks display”.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between Artist Bye-Fellow Barry Phipps and Irvin himself. Many of the works have come from private collectors in Cambridge, while one has been borrowed from Jesus College and several are on loan from Gimpel Fils in London.

With only 30% of students at Churchill studying the humanities, promoting the visual arts seems to be key concern for the College. On average, the College hosts three exhibitions a year. Modern art is especially popular at the College, which owns a Barbara Hepworth sculpture and several works by Andy Warhol.

Staff and members of Churchill are excited about the exhibition. Porter Mark Collier was keen to discuss his favourite paintings, and both History of Art Fellow James Fox and Phipps are hugely enthusiastic about the project.

According to Phipps, the works are “wonderful” and “make you smile when you see them”. He also thinks that reflecting on the paintings at the end of a busy day is an opportunity not to be missed. 

The exhibition is open daily until February 9th from 9 am to 5 pm, and is open to all members of the University and the public.