Arty Facts
KEY DATES:
A chronological and comprehensive list of all the dates relevant to Beryls life and career as an artist:
1926 - Beryl Frances Lansley, born in Egham, Surry.
1930 - her parents separate, she moved to Reading with her mother and three sisters. Where she later attends Kendrick Girls School.
1941 - left school to take shorthand and typing course.
1944 - she moves with her family to London. Where she finds work as a model and then a showgirl.
1947 - the family move to a house with a tea garden by the river in Hampden.
1948 - married John Cook.
1950 - son John born.
1952 - cook family move to live with John's mother in Southend-on-Sea, then buy their own house in Leigh-on Sea.
1955 - she and John take on a pub tenancy, The White Horse in Stoke by Nayland.
1956 - family moved to Zimbabwe in Africa.
1960 - her first painting Hangover.
1963 - family moves to Zambia.
1965 - family moved back to England.
1966 - began painting regularly around this time.
1968 - family moved to Plymouth and run a guest house.
1970 - friend sells some paintings around this time.
1975 - in November at Plymouth Art Centre, her first exhibition.
1976 - early this year her paintings featured in the Sunday Times colour supplement. Later her first limited-edition signed prints are produced by The Alexander Gallery. Who continue to publish prints which, since her death, are known as the official collectors editions.
1977 - first exhibition with the Portal gallery [see exhibitions list]
1978 - her first book "The Works" published by John Murray [see books list]. This was also the year the first greetings cards were published by Gallery 5. They are still publishing them today and to date, have issued around 200 different designs.
1979 - her work first appears on television in "The South Bank Show" where she
discussed it with Melvyn Bragg.
1980 - TV Southwest interviews her in "A Day in the life of Beryl Cook"
1981 - Gallery 5 publish the first Beryl Cook calenders and continue to do so.
1983 - she and John travel to America, resulting in the book "Beryl Cook's New York"
1984 - she is featured in the BBC2 program "One Pair of Eyes"
1986 - her first limited-edition, signed, silk-screen prints produced by Flanagan Graphics.
1988 - she is interviewed by Kathy Sayers for Westward TV.
1987 - she is featured in a show for German television called "Rund Um Big Ben"
1994 - her work is shown on the BBC digital channel in "The UK Today"
1994 - she and John travel to South America, resulting in a number of paintings on Latin American subjects.
1995 - she was awarded an OBE and received her medal in 1996. 1995 was also the year that the Post Office reproduced one of her paintings as a 1st class postage stamp.
1998 - she and John moved to live in Bristol.
2002 - her painting "The Royal Couple" featured in the Golden Jubilee exhibition at Art London.
2002 - she and John moved back to live in Plymouth.
2003 - she was interviewed in the program "My Westcountry" ITV 1
2004 - tiger Aspects made two animated films called "Bosom Pals" using characters from her paintings.
2005 - Channel 4 News featured a short film on her and her work.
2006 - she was the featured artist in "The Culture Show"
2008 - she died at home on the 28'th of May.
2008 - Plymouth University, Peninsula Arts Gallery mounted a major retrospective exhibition in November.
2010 - two of her paintings are hung as part of the "Rude Britannia" exhibition at the Tate London.
2011 - Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery hold a comprehensive exhibition of her paintings including some of her embroideries and other art works.
EXHIBITIONS:
1975 - Plymouth Arts Centre
1976 - Whitechapel Art Gallery London.
1977 - First with The Portal Gallery London, with whom she had a long and happy relationship and where she continued to exhibit until her death. They held 18 exhibitions of her work altogether, and in 2006 staged a comprehensive exhibition of her work to celebrate her 80'th birthday.
1979 - Walker Art Gallery Liverpool.
1981 - Musee De Cahors France
1982 - Chelmsford Art Gallery.
1988-1989 - touring exhibition at Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Nottingham and Edinburgh Art Galleries.
1992 - Touring exhibition at Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, Scunthorpe Museum & Art Gallery and York City Art Gallery.
1995 - Plymouth Arts Centre
1998 - Touring exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery Blackpool, Durham and Hartlepool Art Galleries.
2004 - Durham Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery Stoke-on Trent
2007 - Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle
2010 - Two paintings in the "Rude Britannia" exhibition at the Tate London
2011 - Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
2017 - Plymouth Council House, Our Beryl: Beryl Cook at home
2021 - Four paintings in Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules, Somerset House, London.
2022 - A Hug from the Art world, Beryl Cook Takes New York
2023 - A Hug from the Art World, Beryl Cook Takes Los Angeles
2024 - Studio Voltaire, Beryl Cook / Tom Of Finland, London
Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art has three of her paintings and she is represented in Plymouth City Art Gallery, Durham Art Gallery and Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.
BOOKS:
A chronological list of published books of Beryls artwork and a list of her illustrative work.
Books of Beryl Cook artwork:
1978 - THE WORKS, author B Cook, published by John Murray/Gallery 5
1980 - PRIVATE VIEW, author B Cook, published by John Murray/Gallery 5
1981 - ONE MAN SHOW, author B Cook, published by John Murray/Gallery 5
1985 - BERYL COOK'S NEW YORK, author B Cook published by John Murray
1988 - BERYL COOK'S LONDON, author B Cook published by John Murray
1988 - ON THE TOWN, foreword by Edward Lucie-Smith, published by Devon Books
1991 - BOUNCERS, author B Cook, published by Victor Gollancz
1995 - HAPPY DAYS, author B Cook published by Victor Gollancz
2000 - CRUISING, author B Cook published byVictor Gollancz
2000 - THE BUMPER EDITION, B Cook published by Victor Gollancz
2008 - THE WORLD OF BERYL COOK, publishers Prestel,
authors Jesse Wilder/Jerome Sans
2008 - BERYL COOK 1926-2008, University of Plymouth Press, editors Jesse Wilder/Sarah Chapman.
Books illustrated by B Cook:
1980 - SEVEN YEARS AND A DAY, author Collette O'Hare, published by Collins
1982 - BERTIE AND THE BIG RED BALL, author Edward Lucie-Smith
published by John Murray
1983 - MY GRANNY WAS A FRIGHTFUL BORE [BUT SHE ISN'T ANY MORE]
author Nanette Newman published by Collins
Books illustrated by Folio Society:
1990 - MR NORRIS CHANGES TRAINS, author: Christopher Isherwood
1993 - THE LOVED ONE, author: Evelyn Waugh
1998 - THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, author: Muriel Spark