From the Shadows: The Prints of Sydney Lee RA (1866-1949)

This long overdue appraisal of the art of Sydney Lee RA (1866–1949) offers an opportunity to rediscover the work of one of Britain’s most significant yet overlooked painter-printmakers. By the age of thirty Lee had positioned himself among London’s artistic elite. For the next four decades, he travelled throughout Britain and Europe in search of subjects, exploring epic vistas, geological formations and the play of light and shade on ancient architecture. Lee did much to advance printmaking as an original expressive art form. Experimenting with a wide variety of print techniques and exploiting their unique qualities, he repeatedly pushed the boundaries of traditional practice. Few early 20th-century British printmakers were in command of such a broad range of graphic media. Despite his many achievements, Lee did not gain the lasting critical acclaim that his art merits. Not since 1945 has there been an exhibition devoted to his work. Together with the publication of the first complete catalogue of his prints by Robert Meyrick, this exhibition will draw Sydney Lee out from the shadows.