Alfred Janes, Maker of Pictures: Exhibition shines spotlight on one of Wales’ greats

Nation Cymru staff

A Swansea gallery will present a special exhibition of works by Alfred Janes (1911-1999), marking the launch of a new book on one of Wales’ Master painters.

To celebrate the launch of Alfred Janes, Maker of Pictures by Dr Ceri Thomas, the exhibition draws from Glynn Vivian ArtGallery’s Permanent Collection, bringing together a selection of some of Glynn Vivian’s most treasured works by one of Swansea’s most important and innovative artists, alongside loans from private collections, including ephemera and photographs.

The display offers visitors an opportunity to rediscover Janes’ remarkable contribution to twentieth-century British art and to explore the breadth of a career that spanned more than six decades.

Alfred Janes memorably described himself not as a painter, but as “a maker of pictures”. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he worked across a wide range of styles and subject matter, using a variety of materials, continually experimenting, creating a unique, and original body of work.

Born in Swansea in 1911, Alfred Janes was recognised as an exceptional talent from a young age, studying at Swansea School of Art before moving to the Royal Academy Schools in London. A member of Swansea’s influential “Kardomah Gang”, he counted Dylan Thomas, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones among his contemporaries.

Although the Second World War interrupted his early career, Janes continued to develop an innovative artistic practice that spanned portraiture, still life, collage and relief works. From 1963 until his death in 1999, he lived and worked in London, teaching at Croydon College of Art alongside artists such as Bridget Riley.

The accompanying publication by Dr Ceri Thomas offers new insights into Janes’ life, work and legacy, shedding fresh light on an artist whose contribution to modern British art continues to resonate, and will be published by Parthian Books on 20 November 2026.

This display celebrates Alfred Janes’ enduring connection to Swansea and highlights the continuing importance of his work within the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery’s Permanent Collection.

Alfred Janes, Maker of Pictures will run until Sunday 3 January 2027 at Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road Swansea