“John Langton: Slow Surfacing” exhibition - Guided Tour

Join a guided tour at Heslington Hall Art Gallery celebrating the life and artwork of renowned York painter and printmaker John Langton. Join the exhibition curators, Dr Helena Cox and Prof Michael White, for a guided tour of the latest exhibition at Heslington Hall Art Gallery. The exhibition celebrates John Langton (1932-2025), a renowned York-based painter and printmaker. Langton became an Artist Fellow at the University of York in 1978, followed by an honorary doctorate in 1995. Langton’s national and international fame came as a result of his fellowship, which he spent painting on campus. The exhibition showcases selected highlights from various phases of his work, with the aim of celebrating the modern, progressive artistic style associated with the first decades of the University’s life and its art-collecting activities.The title relates to both his complex painting method and his gradual rise to fame through his association with the university and the cultural life at York. The exhibition, as mentioned by the Guardian, is presented by the University of York Art Collection and is the first of its kind to be shown at the Gallery. This guided tour is a unique opportunity to meet members of the exhibition's curatorial team, find out more about Langton’s legendary work, and hear behind-the-scenes stories from making this exhibition in the University’s new art gallery in a beautiful historic setting of Heslington Hall. About the speakers Dr Helena Cox is the lead curator of this exhibition, and the inaugural Art Curator at the University of York. Helena oversees the University’s collection of over a thousand artworks of mainly modern and contemporary British and international art. In preparation for the exhibition, Helena worked closely with John Langton for over a year before his passing in 2025. Prof Michael White is from the Department of History of Art at the University of York, where he researches and teaches the history of modern art and architecture, with a focus on avant-garde practices and their legacies. Michael played a substantial part in the making of John Langton's exhibition as a member of the Advisory Board and as an expert on modern British art.