Clubland
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (known as Three Graces), 1988
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In the 1990s Brocklehurst returned to Central Saint Martins as a visiting tutor. She led life drawing classes for fashion and textile students, often employing flamboyant performers as models. Brocklehurst encouraged bold use of scale and colour, as demonstrated by this portrait of a drag performer.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Anthony Gregory), 1995
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In the 1990s, Brocklehurst began drawing the fashion designers and performers finding space for experimentation in the fetish clubs of Soho and King’s Cross.
Content warning: strong language
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled, 1986
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. Brocklehurst began working in New York following an exhibition of her work there in 1983. She took paper and materials to the gay nightclubs of the Meatpacking District, drawing clubgoers like this one. Brocklehurst used neon inks that she could see under the ultraviolet lights.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Isabelle Bricknall and Anthony Gregory), 1995
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In the 1990s, Brocklehurst began drawing the fashion designers and performers finding space for experimentation in the fetish clubs of Soho and King’s Cross. This portrait is of Brocklehurst’s regular collaborator Isabelle Bricknall, whose collection of steel ‘body armour’ (constructed by Anthony Gregory) was designed as ‘protection’ for nights on the fetish scene.
Content warning: strong language
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled, 1986
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. Brocklehurst began working in New York following an exhibition of her work there in 1983. She took paper and materials to the gay nightclubs of the Meatpacking District, drawing clubgoers like this one. Brocklehurst used neon inks that she could see under the ultraviolet lights.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
Jo Brocklehurst, Untitled (portrait of Josephine Leask), 2000
Jo (Josephine) Brocklehurst (1935 - 2006) studied at Central Saint Martins and began her career as a fashion illustrator. She later focused on portraiture, drawing directly from models at her studio in West Hampstead and in nightclubs and theatres in Berlin, London and New York. Her work documents the alternative subcultures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s that went on to shape mainstream fashion and performance scenes. In 2000, Brocklehurst created a series of drawings in sessions with dancer Josephine Leask. Leask’s 1999 article Welcome to the Club, published in ballettanz magazine, described the ways that nightclubs were acting as alternative theatres for cutting-edge contemporary dance. These drawings were shown as part of Leask’s lecture-performance on the same theme at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.
