John Craxton: A Life of Gifts film screening

Join the Art Collection at the Central Scotland Documentary Festival for a film screening and discussion of John Craxton: A Life of Gifts. 

Many of you will fondly remember the John Craxton tapestry, on display in the Macrobert Arts Centre. After over two years on loan across the world, we are delighted to announce its return to Stirling. 

The painter John Craxton was born into a famous musical family in 1922, and although he had a lifelong love of music, his passion and genius was an artist. In his late teens, he and his best friend Lucian Freud attained much early success. But his subsequent move to Greece and finally to Crete, where he lived for many years, removed him from the London art scene and his work became somewhat overlooked.

His relationship with Freud soured in later life, but his unrepressed homosexuality, along with deep relationships with women such as Lee Miller and Margot Fonteyn made his life gloriously colourful. His paintings reflected this life, particularly after his move to Crete, where vibrant colour and vivid action are expressed in a fashion that elevates Craxton to the first rank of English twentieth-century artists.

This film, inspired by the eponymous new book by Ian Collins, published in the centenary year focuses attention back on this truly great artist and life-loving character.