Leonard McComb: Drawings, Paintings, Sculpture

This exhibition was a rare opportunity to see a large body of British painter and sculptor Leonard McComb’s work.

Until 1975, McComb (b.1930) consistently destroyed most of his work due to his exacting standards, and until 1977 he worked full-time as a teacher. For these reasons this exhibition was the first opportunity to see a large body of British painter and sculptor McComb’s work, save for one small solo show in 1979.

The exhibition presented pieces from 1975 to 1983 and revealed McComb’s expansion as an artist after 1977, when he had more time to spend on his art. Within two years, his small, even discreet portraits and still lifes developed into a much larger format.

Works in the exhibition included Pregnant Nude, Mrs. Lillian Kennett, Zarrin Kashi Overlooking Whitechapel High Street, Rock and Sea Anglesey, and Gloria.

The Serpentine exhibition was also the first time that one of McComb’s most celebrated sculptures, Portrait of a Young Man Standing (1963-83), was exhibited.