In praise of the Jerwood

There's a tendency for Hastings residents to carp about the Jerwood Gallery.  Letters still appear in the local paper lamenting the disappearance of the old coach park.  But as a regeneration project it's been a quiet success.

Still Life by Duncan Grant

The building itself is beautiful, though arguably a tad neo-brutalist.  The exterior is clad in black ceramic tiles, which succeed in being contemporary as well as blending in with the black clapboard of the fishing huts next door.  Inside there is a sequence of light and airy spaces, with two galleries on the ground floor being devoted to temporary exhibitions.  Upstairs is a selection from the Jerwood Foundation's permanent collection of 20th and 21st century British art, with paintings by such luminaries as Keith Vaughan and Duncan Grant - the latter represented by a particularly beautiful still life.  We've got so used to the shock tactics of the Young British Artists that the quieter palettes of the mid-20th century painters take a bit of getting used to - but after a few minutes they start working their magic.  
 

Locals also complain that it's not possible to visit the Gallery's café without paying the admission fee for the Gallery itself - which means that the caff is probably missing out on custom, since entrance is £7 for adults from outside Hastings - £2 if you're a local.  The café is worth a visit since you have the best view of the fishing beach in town - though sunning on the terrace is subject to the local hazard of passing seagulls with their projectile habits.  I have mixed feelings about this particular moan: you can't adjust the design to allow people to visit the café in any other way, and if the owners of the café concession are happy with the arrangements I think that on balance it's probably right to oblige people to view the art as well as indulging in a capuccino.


This new gallery space, with its accompanying events - talks about exhibitions and one-offs such as the impending evening with the Chapman brothers - adds a new dimension to the eclectic mix of this seaside town, aligning it with similar developments in Eastbourne and Bexhill along the coast.  Visitor figures for the first year have been more than satisfactory, which arguably means that the town is attracting people who might not have considered visiting it before.  And at weekends I see no sign of shortage on the tripper front elsewhere.  But I suspect that the letters to the Hastings Observer will continue for a while yet.

Antony Mair