Left: Head and Neck with Props, 1996

Tony Bevan, one of Britain’s most respected figurative painters, is the subject of a major retrospective at Abbot Hall in Cumbria until June 26.

The show features forty large paintings from the earliest days of his career right up to the present day.

Right: Head and Neck Horizon, 1999

Bevan, born in Bradford in 1951, trained at Goldsmiths in London, as well as the Slade School of Art. To some in the art world, Bevan represents a next generation of ‘School of London’ artists.

The phrase, reputedly coined by American painter exiled in London R.B. Kitaj, included the greats such as Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud, Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossof.

Bevan made a breakthrough in 1987 with a reputation-building exhibition at the ICA in London, and since then, his continuous exploration on canvas of the human form has fascinated many dedicated followers of his work.

It’s not, however, a worthy and reverential homage to the British painters of the ‘fifties. Bevan’s work is modernist in approach; bold, expressive and full of impact.

Visit the exhibition and see for yourself. Figurative fans unable to make the trek to Cumbria can also see a show of Bevan’s work at Milton Keynes Gallery from May 2 to June 22.