The Ralli Museum has a new hall dedicated to the British artist Beryl Cook. The sample consists of 19 prints and several series of reproductions.
Beryl Cook (England 1926-2008), naive and self-taught artist, started her artistic career about 40 years ago, after having dabbled in literature and fashion. In 1995 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.
Her works are not characterized by any particular style and they portray huge colorful comic characters of everyday life. In them she does not preach morality or philosophical, political or social ideas. The very existence of her characters is aimed at happiness and maximal life enjoyment. One could say she was a great social observer with a sense of humor.
Beryl Cook based her works on daily life, on funny situations and on her extensive travels to Buenos Aires, New York, Havana, Paris and Barcelona. Her characters and situations are so human that the viewer necessarily smiles. Despite the "stiff" British style of her paintings, they also reveal flashes of eroticism, happiness and the joy of living. Not surprisingly, they are often referred to as "funny Rubens".
Beryl Cook's works are exhibited in museums around the world and are part of important private collections.
