arts

Laughton’s Legacies At Scarborough Art Gallery

Curator Dorcas Taylor with (left) Madame Ennui by Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith and (right, clockwise from oval frame), portraits of Laughton’s three wives: Isobel (1918) by Philip Naviasky, Esmé (1965) by John Armstrong, and Mary (1983) by Zdzislaw Ruszkowski

Paintings from the collection of the late Tom Laughton, Scarborough hotelier and brother of the Hollywood movie star Charles Laughton, will go on display at Scarborough Art Gallery next month. The exhibition seeks to shed light on the three women he married – Esmé, Isobel and Mary.

Laughton’s Legacies can be seen from Tuesday 18 May to Sunday 12 September 2021.

Tom Laughton, who died in 1984, donated a large number of works to Scarborough Art Gallery in three stages – each dedicated to one of his three wives.

Westwood Glade (c.1960) by Ivon Hitchens

Laughton was never media-shy and wrote a book about his experience of running hotels in Scarborough, including the Royal, which is still operating today, and the Pavilion, which stood opposite the town’s railway station and was demolished in 1973. Pavilions by the Sea included a foreword from family friend Graham Greene. Tom also contributed to exhibition catalogues on his art collection.

However, as Curator Dorcas Taylor says: “We find out a lot about Tom Laughton – his interests, opinions and anecdotes – but his three wives remain largely invisible.

“This display is the start of a longer research project to put Laughton’s three wives back in the picture. Do we know what they thought about the artworks their husband collected? Did they meet the artists he patronised? Did they have a say in what artworks were purchased? We know so little about them and we may never know, but it is good to question the male gaze behind these bequests.”

The Pond, Great Barfield (1933), by Edward Bawden

The 12 artworks on display include some rarely seen works on paper by French artist and sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, and Edward Bawden. Alongside these are portraits of Laughton’s three wives, including a pastel drawing of Isobel as a child by Leeds-born artist Philip Naviasky.

Scarborough Art Gallery has been awarded the VisitEngland ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard mark, signifying that it adheres to government and public health guidance with regard to Covid-19. Laughton’s Legacies is on the ground floor, and is fully wheelchair-accessible. Visitors to the gallery for the foreseeable future will be asked to book a slot via the Trust’s website: www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.com - details will be posted shortly.

Entry to Scarborough Art Gallery is by annual pass, which costs £3 and gives unlimited entry to both the gallery and the Rotunda Museum for a year. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sundays plus Bank Holidays.