BAPCR talk by Jo Shepard, 'Painting on Borrowed Time: Derek Jarman's Media and Techniques,' Wednesday 23rd April

BAPCR talk, Wednesday 23rd April 2025

At the Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queens' Square, London, WC1N 3AT and via Zoom

Doors 6.30pm / Talk 7pm

We look forward to welcoming you to the BAPCR talk by Jo Shepard, who will present: Painting on Borrowed Time: Derek Jarman's Media & Techniques

Derek Jarman (b.1942) is best known for his avant-garde art films and as a set designer, gardener, author and gay rights activist.  This has tended to eclipse his prolific career as a painter from childhood until his death from AIDS in 1994. In 2019 Jo Shepard was asked to document and treat paintings for the major retrospective Derek Jarman: Protest! at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and Manchester City Art Gallery.  During examination, many intriguing characteristics came to light, including re-used supports, hidden inscriptions, and an eclectic range of materials from traditional paints to medical paraphernalia and photocopies. This culminated in the first technical study of Jarman's painting practice, complemented by interviews with close friends, assistants and other key figures in his life.

The research was published in the Protest! exhibition catalogue, and since then Jo's studio has treated and advised on many other works by the artist, supporting exhibitions, acquisitions and authentication of paintings, and developing conservation strategies for artworks at Prospect Cottage, Jarman's former home in Dungeness. This talk will give an overview of the research and selected treatments, revealing Jarman's inventiveness and skill, as well as his infectiously charismatic personality.

Jo Shepard PGDip Cons ACR is the founder/director at Joanna Shepard Conservation Ltd, a London-based studio specialising in conservation of modern and contemporary art. She previously worked in private practice in London and New York, and was a Senior Conservator at Amgeddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales (2014-15). She was Head of Conservation at the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, from 1999-2014, directing care of the permanent collection, international loans and exhibitions, the conservation and installation of the Francis Bacon Studio, and various significant capital projects. Jo has published research on artists such as Francis Bacon and Julian Opie, and lectures regularly on conservation of contemporary art at Sotheby's Institute. She volunteers with the education and employment charity Inspiring the Future, helping young people connect with careers in conservation and the art world.

Entry is free of charge to members of the BAPCR (but please email BAPCRsecretary@gmail.com to let Gemma know that you will be attending either in person or via Zoom). Non-members can attend via Zoom (£7.50 per person) or in person at the Art Workers Guild, London (£15 per person). Wine and soft drinks will be available to purchase before and after the talk at the Art Workers Guild.

For further details, and and to book a place, click here

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Claire Shepherd
Paintings Conservator
Royal Collection Trust
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