Four decades of photography
In this retrospective, Linden Hall
Studio shows four decades of photographer Michael Bennett’s rich & varied early work.The Family (1975, in the collection of V&A Museum), wry, intimate portrait of Bennett’s own family.
People Doing Things (1977 ~ present day): chronicles the most mundane details of everyday life.
1970’s America impressions of the the east and west coasts in evocative monochrome.
Pier Closing Time ill-fated but later celebrated lament for neglected coastal North Wales. (1979).
Rare vintage silver prints are shown alongside new editions of digitally-restored photographs, some never seen before. Also on display will be some of Bennett’s work as an illustrator, with original artwork for The Sunday Times, Private Eye and others.
Exhibition opening: 2:00pm to 4:00pm, Saturday 1 April 2023
BOOK LAUNCH
Also on Saturday 1 April, at 3pm, Linden Hall Studio will be launching the third edition of Michael Bennett’s Pier Closing Time, with an introduction by the renowned newspaper columnist Danny Danziger .
Pier Closing Time: Buried, forgotten for 40 years, openly loathed at the time by its commissioner, Michael Bennett’s 1979 photographic journey through North Wales has been rescued, restored and is available now as a book in this third edition jointly published with Linden Hall Studio.
Images from the locally-disdained project were rediscovered and included in Seaside Photographed, The Turner Contemporary’s first-ever photo exhibition.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Michael Bennett’s black and white photographs from the late 1970s … show seasides from Llandudno to St Leonards as melancholy and austere in every season, homing in on the weather-beaten faces of solitary workers – the signalman, the kiosk girl, the caretaker lugging the barrier to a pier in dark rain at closing time. They are starkly poignant laments.”
Laura Cumming, The Observer, May 2019
Mournful of a lost world, always ironic, Pier Closing Time was a bitter-sweet portrait of Welsh seaside resorts in and out of season.
About the Photographer
Michael Bennett is a photographer & illustrator, and has worked for The Times, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The BBC and the The Financial Times. He had a long association with the satirical magazine Private Eye.
The Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Portrait Gallery and The National Museum of Wales have collections of his work.
Linden Hall Studio
An independent contemporary art gallery in Deal, Kent since 2014, with a vibrant exhibition programme, it has 11 major shows a year. A rolling collection features many established names in the art world.
The gallery has a wide-ranging events programme, with masterclasses, lectures and film screenings.
Editors’ Notes
Being There is at Linden Hall Studio, 32 St Georges Road Deal Kent CT14 6BA from 1 April until 22 April 2023. Open Tuesdays ~ Saturdays, 10:00am to 4:00pm
The third edition of Pier Closing Time is launched on 1 April 2023 at Linden Hall Studio, between 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Presentation and signing from 3pm. Introduction by the well-known journalist Danny Danziger. Danny has written fourteen books on a range of subjects, some best-sellers, and is a regular newspaper columnist.
More information: 01304 360411 & 07568 503021
LINDEN HALL STUDIO
32 St Georges Road Deal Kent CT14 6BA
Opening times :Tuesday ~ Saturday 10am till 4pm
Copyright © 2023 Linden Hall Studio