Exhibition
Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy
24 Jan-31 May 2026
The Box
Plymouth PL4 8AX
Beryl Cook, Feeding the Tortoise. Credit: Courtesy of www.ourberylcook.com © John Cook 2025
Overview
Celebrate the life, work and legacy of one of Britain’s most distinctive artists in the most extensive display of Beryl Cook's work to date.
Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy will feature more than 80 works, from iconic paintings to rarely seen treasures from private collections and the Cook family archives and will fundamentally reassess Cook's significance as a chronicler of everyday life during a time of great change in Britain.
2026 marks both Cook's centenary and 50 years since the 1976 Sunday Times feature that launched her career following her first exhibition at Plymouth Arts Centre in 1975. She produced an estimated 500 paintings during her lifetime, many of which have become instantly recognisable through their commercial success. But, although her colourful paintings made her beloved by millions, critics consistently dismissed her work as mere kitsch.
Pride and Joy argues for a radical reassessment. Through subjects such as drag queens, working-class women at bingo halls, plus-size bodies celebrating their physicality and LGBTQ+ nightlife, Cook documented communities and identities that were actively marginalised with genuine affection, technical mastery and unflinching honesty. Her work from the 1970s to 2000s captures working-class joy, body positivity, and queer culture with a sophistication that's only now being fully recognised.
The exhibition will be organised into four sections:
● Identity and Representation will look at Cook's radical approach to her subjects and her unique style of self-portraiture.
● Chronicles of Everyday Life will explore Cook's phenomenal observational skills and attention to detail as she documented working-class spaces and everyday life in a changing Britain.
● Process and Practice will highlight Cook’s meticulous research and the way she actively mined different media in ways that feel remarkably contemporary. This section will also include rarely seen sculptures and textile work that demonstrate her versatility beyond painting.
● Influences and Impact will show how her work was inspired by and referenced a broad range of visual culture - from popular postcards to historical painters.
A related display that delves even further into Cook's archives, a series of brilliant events, bespoke merchandise and a fully illustrated book will also be on offer at The Box throughout the exhibition run.
Plymouth-based gallery KARST will also present Discord and Harmony, an exhibition of contemporary British artists whose work shares Cook’s radically generous approach to representing everyday life, from 24 January-18 April 2026.
Visitors are advised to book a free ticket in advance.
