© John Hitchens. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2021. Photo credit: Leicestershire County Council Artworks Collection
Painter in oil, son of the artist Ivon Hitchens and grandson of the painter Alfred Hitchens. John Hitchens’ landscapes and flower paintings were similar to his father’s, with their broad strokes of paint and rich colours. After Bedales School Hitchens attended Bath Academy of Art. He showed from the 1960s, having a solo show at Marjorie Parr Gallery, 1964. Exhibited there until 1976, showing from 1967–71 with Ditchling Gallery; 1967–82 with David Paul Gallery, Chichester; and 1977–9 with Gilbert Parr Gallery.
Later solo shows included a series with Montpelier Studio from 1983 and one at Davies Memorial Gallery, Newtown, 1987. Louise Kosman, Edinburgh, held one in 2003. In 1979 West Sussex Education Committee commissioned a huge mural, A Landscape Symphony, from Hitchens, who was born in the county, settling at Byworth, Petworth. His work is held by many other collections, including public galleries in Brighton, Bradford and Hull.
Text source: 'Artists in Britain Since 1945' by David Buckman (Art Dictionaries Ltd, part of Sansom & Company)
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