Victory & Defeat was established during my final year at the RCA as an epilogue to my involvement as a competitive oarsman. It inspired a prolific period of printmaking and drawing, first presented at the RCA in 1982 for my graduation. It continued into my fellowship at Artescape in Lincoln and residencies at Bishop Grosse-Teste University later. Sculptures, printmaking, and drawings were created for further shows at the University at BGT and Lincoln College of Art. Work from these shows will be posted soon at: https://www.derekhill.co.uk/work/cat/about-derek-hill/
All rowers recognise the fine line between victory and defeat and the analogies between war and the human condition. Hill’s first notable solo exhibition, Victory and Defeat, opened in 1983 at the Imperial War Museum’s entry lobby in London. The exhibition featured twenty-five etchings and drawings organised by Angela Weight, IWM’s keeper. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/13013
The collection below includes suites of zinc, copper, and steel plate etchings, lithographs, and charcoal drawings. Plate sizes range from 30 x 30 cm, 30 x 50 cm, and 45 x 75 cm. Off-set Lithographs sizes are 4 x plates measuring 1.25 x 1.50 m. Also included are some small painted wooden and metal maquettes celebrating victory.
