The Etchings of Paul Drury
November 6th to December 14th 2025
Adam’s Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of original etchings by Paul Drury.
Alongside Graham Sutherland and William Larkin, the class of 1921 at Goldsmiths reignited the medium of etching largely due to Larkins discovery of an etching by Samuel Palmer tucked away in a Charing Cross book shop.
Paul Drury only produced 92 works recorded in the Catalogue Raisonnée: but more than half are these portrait heads which have had less prominence than his pastoral Palmeresque work. We are pleased to present a large collection of the portrait heads as well as later pastoral interpretations, some never exhibited before.
The exhibition will also feature contemporary artists who were invited to respond to the ideas and works of Paul Drury.
Paul Drury, an artist and printmaker, was born Alfred Paul Dalou Drury, the son of the sculptor Alfred Drury RA. Influenced by Samuel Palmer's work, his early etchings from 1922 reflect this inspiration. Following his studies, Drury taught at prominent British Art Schools, including the Central School of Art, Heatherley School of Fine Art, and Goldsmiths, his alma mater. In 1944, he was commissioned alongside other notable artists to create a series of prints for Cowan's, a distinguished artist's printmaker.
After World War II, Drury returned to Goldsmiths and became part of the mid 20th century Goldsmiths School. Drury eventually became Principal of Goldsmiths in 1966 for three years.
Drury created 92 etchings, nearly half being portraits and a quarter landscapes. Despite the predominance of portraiture in his oeuvre, his landscapes, such as "September" and "Nicols Farm," are notable.
He frequently exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and, through the British Council, at venues including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of New Zealand, and the British Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.
His works are part of the collections at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Gallery of Canada, among others.
From 1970 to 1975, Drury served as the President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers.
