# Event Details - **Event Name**: Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties - **Event Start and End Date**: Mon, 22 Jun, 2026 at 05:30 pm – Mon, 22 Jun, 2026 at 07:30 pm - **Event Description**: Gwen John: Strange Beauties is the first major retrospective of Gwen John (1876–1939) in over forty yearsAbout this EventCurators Patrick Elliott, Rachel Stratton and Lucy Wood reflect on the work and legacy of Gwen John (1876–1939) on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the artist’s birth, on 22 June 1876.The exhibition reframes an artist long admired for her evocative, acutely observed portrayals of women, foregrounding the full scope of her artistic practice and challenging the gendered assumptions that have shaped her reception.Born in Wales in 1876, John trained at the Slade School of Fine Art before moving to Paris in 1904. Over the course of her career, she pushed the boundaries of figurative representation, combining ideas from the British and French avant-gardes. Her practice evolved from realist portraiture to a refined, abstracted figuration deeply informed by her Catholic faith. A self-described “seer of strange beauties”, John developed serial working methods, producing multiple versions of compositions to reveal an essential, spiritual beauty in everyday subjects.While best known for her intimate, muted oil paintings, John was also a prolific draughtswoman who considered her works on paper “quite as serious” as her paintings. Ranging from delicate landscape sketches to impromptu figure studies and vibrantly coloured still lifes, these lesser-known drawings and watercolours reveal the full scope of John’s artistic ambition. The exhibition brings together major oils from public and private collections across the UK and US, alongside rarely seen works on paper, including material from her studio collection at Amgueddfa Cymru. Building on new research, it reassesses the material and spiritual dimensions of her practice, her contribution to British art and her position within European modernism.Organised by Amgueddfa Cymru, National Galleries Scotland, the Yale Center for British Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.), Gwen John: Strange Beauties is the largest touring exhibition of John’s work to date.Exhibition datesNational Museum Cardiff 7 February – 28 June 2026National Galleries Scotland, Modern Two 1 August 2026 – 4 January 2027Yale Center for British Art 18 February – 20 June 2027National Museum of Women in the Arts 30 July – 28 November 2027Participant biographiesRachel Stratton is Interim Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Previously, at the Yale Center for British Art, she co-curated exhibitions including Gwen John: Strange Beauties (2026–27) and Isaac Julien: Lina Bo Bardi – A Marvellous Entanglement (2023), alongside collection displays in modern and contemporary art. She has also held roles at the the Courtauld Institute of Art and Ben Uri Gallery and Museum. Rachel completed her doctoral thesis at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2018. She is co-editor of Gwen John: Strange Beauties (Yale University Press, 2026) and her research has appeared in multiple peer-reviewed journals and exhibition catalogues.Lucy Wood is Senior Curator of Art at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. She is co-curator of Gwen John: Strange Beauties (2026–27). Previously, she was Project Curator at the British Museum of the exhibition Feminine Power: The Divine to the Demonic (2022), and Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary, at the National Portrait Gallery, where she curated exhibitions including Elizabeth Peyton: Aire and Angels (2019) and Njideka Akunyili Crosby: The Beautyful Ones (2018), alongside collection displays and artist commissions. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford and a board member of the Centre for Philosophy and the Arts, King’s College London. She is co-editor of Gwen John: Strange Beauties (Yale University Press, 2026).Event schedule5.30-6.30 pm: Brief welcome (5 mins) and panel discussion with Rachel Stratton and Lucy Wood6.30 - 7 pm: Q&As chaired by Patrick Elliott7-7.30 pm: Drinks receptionImage caption: Gwen John (1876–1939), The Pilgrim, ca. 1920, oil on canvas, 29 x 21 3/8 in. (73.7 x 54.3 cm), Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection: B1993.30.16Accessibility at a Glance at the Paul Mellon Centre✖ Level access✔ Livestreamed✔ Recorded✔ Hearing loop available (please contact events@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk)✔ Closed caption on Zoom✖ BSLPMC Visitor Information - Accessibility Guide & Accessibility MapIf you wish to inform us of any access requirements, please email events@paul-mellon-centre. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/london/gwen-john-a-seer-of-strange-beauties/100001989298288732 - **Event Categories**: art, exhibitions, fine-arts, business, workshops, nonprofit - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 2 hours - Location: Paul Mellon Centre - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: London - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Paul Mellon Centre - **lat**: 51.51954749999999 - **long**: -0.1303413 - **full address**: Paul Mellon Centre, 16 Bedford Square, London, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/48e78806cb12c04a199e53bb11cb34705760ca4e2d032851372902aeb6a6622f-rimg-w1200-h1636-dc918a7c-gmir.jpg?v=1778847653 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties being held? - **A:** Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties takes place on Mon, 22 Jun, 2026 at 05:30 pm to Mon, 22 Jun, 2026 at 07:30 pm at Paul Mellon Centre, 16 Bedford Square, London, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties? - **A:** Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties is organized by Paul Mellon Centre. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties is ideal for art lovers, trade professionals, collectors, and exhibition enthusiasts exploring the latest in their field. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in London, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Gwen John: A Seer of Strange Beauties", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/48e78806cb12c04a199e53bb11cb34705760ca4e2d032851372902aeb6a6622f-rimg-w1200-h1636-dc918a7c-gmir.jpg?v=1778847653", "startDate": "2026-06-22", "endDate": "2026-06-22", "url": "https://allevents.in/london/gwen-john-a-seer-of-strange-beauties/100001989298288732", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Paul Mellon Centre", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "16 Bedford Square", "postalCode": "WC1B 3JA", "addressLocality": "London", "addressRegion": "EN", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "51.51954749999999", "longitude": "-0.1303413" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Gwen John: Strange Beauties is the first major retrospective of Gwen John (1876–1939) in over forty years", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-08", "availabilityEnds": "2026-06-22", "validFrom": "2026-09-08", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/london/gwen-john-a-seer-of-strange-beauties/100001989298288732" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/london/gwen-john-a-seer-of-strange-beauties/100001989298288732", "price": 0, "name": "In person ticket" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/london/gwen-john-a-seer-of-strange-beauties/100001989298288732", "price": 0, "name": "Zoom ticket" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Paul Mellon Centre", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/paul-mellon-centre/22529641", "description": "The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art is an educational charity committed to promoting original, world-class research into the history of British art and architecture of all periods. We collaborate closely with the Yale Center for British Art, and are part of Yale UniversityGuests at in-person events will be asked to wear a mask throughout. Catering, if made available, will be served after the event. For our full Guidance for Events please seeour websiteThe Paul Mellon Centre is aware of its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and is committed to processing your data securely and transparently.For more information on how the Centre processes personal information seeour privacy policy.For more information on Zoom’s compliance with EU GDPR see:https://zoom.us/gdpr." } ] } ] ```