Audrey Amiss's hoarded art goes on display at Wellcome Collection
From 10 July 2026 to 7 February 2027, the Wellcome Collection in London will host 'Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions,' showcasing the works of the late artist who was a talented Royal Academy Schools student in the 1950s until mental health issues interrupted her artistic journey. Amiss, who passed away in 2013, left a legacy of over 350 paintings, prints, and drawings, along with approximately 50,000 sketches and 230 scrapbooks filled with various ephemera. Curator Madeleine Kennedy found it 'challenging' to select from the extensive archive, keeping Amiss's preferences in mind. Notably, Amiss protested against psychiatric treatment, creating signs for a 2002 demonstration, and her life was depicted in Carol Morley's 2022 film, 'Typist Artist Pirate King.' Morley, who unearthed Amiss's archive during a 2015 Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Fellowship, is also set to release a book on Amiss later this year.
Key facts
- Audrey Amiss was a promising student at the Royal Academy Schools in the late 1950s.
- Her career was derailed by mental illness, leading to numerous detentions in psychiatric institutions.
- She died in 2013, leaving over 350 paintings, prints and drawings, 50,000 sketches, and 230 scrapbooks.
- The exhibition 'Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions' runs from 10 July 2026 to 7 February 2027 at Wellcome Collection, London.
- Curator Madeleine Kennedy said selecting works was 'challenging' and focused on Amiss's wishes.
- Amiss created protest signs for a 2002 demonstration against the Mental Health Bill with slogans like 'Freedom for Lunatics'.
- Her story was told in the 2022 film 'Typist Artist Pirate King' directed by Carol Morley.
- Carol Morley is publishing a book about Amiss later this year.
Entities
Artists
- Audrey Amiss
- Carol Morley
Institutions
- Wellcome Collection
- Royal Academy Schools
- Wellcome Trust
- Royal Academy of Arts
Locations
- London
- Clapham
- United Kingdom
- Sunderland