Cornwall art sale at Lay's Auctioneers of Barrie Cook work

Barrie Cook was as familar a figure in the Cadgwith Cove Inn as he was working in his studio at an old Methodist hall in Ruan Minor. 

He dedicated his artistic life to the medium of spray painting, trying to 'break the habit of brushstroke mentality'.

Mimi Connell-Lay, of Lay's Auctioneers, takes a look at his life and previews a very special sale of work this week.

As an adopted son of Cornwall, the artist Barrie Cook cut a distinctive, but much loved figure in his home on the Lizard.

He barely missed a day working in his studio, an old Methodist hall in Ruan Minor, which he and his wife Mary purchased in 1992 after being persuaded to move to Cornwall by his good friend and fellow artist, Sir Terry Frost.

Like Frost, Cook was a down to earth and totally unpretentious character, and likely to spend his afternoons in the Cadgwith Cove Inn chatting to the local fishermen, having popped in for lunch.

Cook enjoyed success as an artist and an educator, having had prestigious solo shows at the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Serpentine Gallery in the 1970s and 80s. He was also a senior fellow at Cardiff College of Art, and a highly respected Head of Fine Art at Birmingham Polytechnic, his home town.

His palette lightened after his move to Cornwall and his previously industrial hues found a new vibrancy. Cook felt he had found his spiritual home.

Barrie Cook had a studio at Ruan Minor (Image: Barrie Cook exhibition)

Although a talented draughtsman and figurative artist, Barrie chose the path of abstraction, enjoying "the huge amount of internal creativity and invention required in abstract painting.”

Cook's medium was spray paint and he pushed the boundaries of this unusual choice, cementing it as a versatile and respected technique in the context of fine art. His pioneering influence has been compared to other great Cornish-based abstract artists Bridget Riley and Patrick Heron, but also international stars like Mark Rothko.

Cook's painting are monumental in scale and are stunningly hypnotic. They need to be seen and 'experienced' first hand to really get a sense of their power and their serene, meditative and spiritual qualities.

Cook with one of his pieces (Image: Barrie Cook exhibition)

Barrie died in 2020 at the age of 91, followed two days later by his wife Mary.

Four years on from his death, Lay's Auctioneers will be holding an important studio sale of his remaining works and it promises to be a revelatory exhibition and auction.

Their large exhibition saleroom space will be hung with multiples of Barrie's paintings, creating a sensory exhibition experience.

The public were welcomed to an evening preview of the collection on Friday and can now visit unti Wednesday (July 31), 9am to 5pm.

The 236-lot sale takes place this Thurdsay, August 1 in Lay's Penzance saleroom, and the entire catalogue can be viewed online at www.davidlay.co.uk

For lovers of 20th century art the collection will be well worth viewing, and the sale also represents an extraordinary opportunity to purchase the work of a highly revered British artist.