Art: Sussex-based public art project announced featuring renowned contemporary artists' responses to Eric Ravilious paintings

Newhaven is a charming coastal town located in East Sussex, England and situated at the mouth of the River Ouse.  While it is nestled between the bustling city of Brighton to the west and the resort town of Eastbourne to the east, Newhaven has experienced significant developments that have enhanced its appeal as a tourist destination and a place for artistic inspiration. 

Newhaven Harbour - 1936 - Eric Ravilious
Newhaven Harbour lies within walking distance of Furlongs, the home of artist and Ravilious’ friend Peggy Angus. Ravilious would regularly visit Angus and undertake painting trips in the area, including Newhaven, where he was attracted by the busy port, ships, and industrial machinery. 
Image: Towner Eastbourne

With a rich maritime heritage, offering a unique blend of natural beauty, Newhaven has had inspired many artists to convey its landscape and beauty on canvas.  Among them is the well-known British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver  Eric Ravilious (22 July 1903 – 2 September 1942),  who grew up in Sussex, and is particularly known for his watercolours of the South Downs, and other English landscapes and vernacular art with an off-kilter, modernist sensibility and clarity. 

Now Newhaven has in recent years seen improvements in infrastructure, waterfront redevelopment, and a renewed focus on promoting the arts and culture, with a thriving arts scene.   Local galleries, studios, and community centres have flourished, providing artists with opportunities to showcase their work and interact with the public. These spaces also host regular exhibitions, workshops, and events, fostering a vibrant creative atmosphere in the town.

Vision Machines (Cliff). 2023 Charlotte Prodger
Image: Towner Eastbourne

This August, a free trail of giant billboard-scale artworks will pop up all over Newhaven. Entitled "Follow Ravilious - Newhaven Views", this project celebrates paintings of the town by Ravilious who was drawn to Newhaven's bustling harbour, fishing boats, and the ever-changing play of light on the water. These maritime themes can be seen in many of his paintings, where he skillfully portrayed the interplay of water, sky, and human activity.

Ahead of the Turner Prize coming to Eastbourne to the Towner Gallery this Autumn,  the Newhaven project will feature some of Ravilious’s best loved images of Newhaven, with responses by contemporary artists Charlotte Prodger, Mark Titchner, Emily Allchurch, and Jo Lamb who have been inspired by Ravilious and the modern Newhaven landscape.   The four contemporary artists had been chosen by a panel of arts professionals and cultural leaders, according to Towner Eastbourne which curated and organised the project with the support of the Newhaven Enterprise Zone. The Ravilious works are all in the Towner Eastbourne Collection.  

The trail opens on 1 August and stays up until the end of October 2023.

Each artist’s work will sit alongside a Ravilious painting completing a dialogue between Newhaven’s past, present, and future and exploring Newhaven’s intersecting marine, rural, and industrial landscapes. They will link Newhaven’s dynamic past with the town as it is today, undergoing a renaissance, bursting with creativity, and attracting new residents, businesses, and investment. 

The project will, for the first time, enable some of the works from the collection of  Ravilious Newhaven paintings to sit within the spaces they depict, such as the sea view from the Sussex Coast as well responding to the industry in the area. 

There will be also a full programme of associated events running alongside the trail, including a display of the four paintings in the Ravilious Library at Towner Eastbourne, and artistic responses to the Ravilious paintings by pupils from Newhaven’s Seahaven Academy school.

‘Following Ravilious - Newhaven Views’ is part of the BN9 programme of events and arts activities funded by the Newhaven Enterprise Zone and delivered by Towner Eastbourne in collaboration with Creative Newhaven, with the generous support of Newhaven Enterprise Zone, Boutique Modern, Prismaflex, and King & McGaw.