麻豆社

Ten years after his death, a major exhibition of pictures by North Devon photographer James Ravilious is being shown at the National Theatre in London and at the Burton Art Gallery in Bideford.

Almost 50 of his photographs are being shown in the exhibition - James Ravilious: An English Eye.

The photographs, which were displayed at the National Theatre from 6 April to 16 May 2009, are on show at the Bideford venue from 28 May to 19 June.

James Ravilious at work

In fact, the display at the National Theatre was such a success, it is going back for another two months this summer - just as soon as the Bideford exhibition ends.

The exhibition is curated by the photographer's wife, Robin Ravilious, who still lives in North Devon.

"The exhibition in London was very successful," said Robin. "So much so, the National Theatre want it back for the summer season from July to September. There was a lot of lovely feedback."

James Ravilious is best known for his evocative black and white images of rural life in North Devon, which have themselves become a part of the area's historical landscape.

He moved to Dolton in 1972 and started taking pictures for the Beaford Archive project the following year.

Over a 17-year period, he took 80,000 photos, capturing a way of life which he knew was about to come to an end.

Archie Parkhouse - one of Ravilious' famous images

Most of the 48 photos on show are from the archive, and Robin says making the final selection for the exhibition was tough: "It's always difficult to choose which ones to show and which ones to leave out," she told 麻豆社 Devon.

"The Royal Photographic Society had 105 of James' photos in an earlier exhibition, so I've got that down to 48.

"The famous ones are in there - Archie Parkhouse with the thing on his head, Olive Bennett with her cows, the thatcher (Bill Hammond) at the top of his ladder with the geese in the foreground, and the mist on the River Torridge.

"So most of the pictures are from James' North Devon photos."

Robin is hoping some of the subjects featured in James' photographs will come to the exhibition: "It would be lovely if people in the pictures came, or perhaps their relatives.

"And certainly, James' pictures will spark a lot of nostalgic memories for many people in this area."

Ravilious died from lymphoma at the age of just 60 in 1999. Since then, his work has become increasingly well known and respected.

Robin found it hard to pick the exhibition photos

"It's wonderful," said Robin. "I am really, really pleased - it keeps on growing, particularly since the film was made about him."

The documentary film, James Ravilious - A World in Photographs - was made by film-maker Anson Hartford, who also lives in North Devon. Narrated by Alan Bennett, it was shown on 麻豆社 Television as part of a series about the history of photography.

"The film has helped. People say 'goodness, why didn't I know about him'. It's lovely."

The exhibition at the National Theatre came about after Robin provided some research images for the venue's production of War Horse, based on the novel by North Devon-based Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo.

Robin explained: "I provided some old photos of Iddesleigh, where the book is based, and some of James' photos as well.

"The photos were used in a big interactive display during the play's run at the National Theatre last year - it's now moved to the New London Theatre.

"And it all came out of that."

It's hoped that the Beaford Archive will go online for everyone to view, but the digitising process is a lengthy one.

Until then, you can see some of Ravilious' most famous photos in this exhibition. For more details, visit the websites which are linked on the top right of this page.