{{short description|English painter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''John Hitchens''' (born 1940) is an English painter. His work is influenced by the landscape of the South Downs and his main subject area is the countryside of West Sussex, England. He also spent extended periods working in North Wales and North West Scotland. Hitchens' paintings<ref>{{Art UK bio|nocount=1|ref=1}}</ref> are primarily concerned with expressing patterns and textures of the landscape. During the past decades his work has evolved into an abstract style using a range of earth colours.
== Biography == John Hitchens was born in Hove, Sussex, England. Both his father, Ivon Hitchens (1893–1979) and his grandfather Alfred Hitchens (1861–1942) were also painters.<ref>[http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw199683/Mary-Cranford-Mollie-Hitchens-ne-Coates-Ivon-Hitchens-Ida-Kar-John-Hitchens?LinkID=mp124762&role=sit&rNo=0 National Portrait gallery listing for John Hitchens]</ref> He attended Bedales School near Petersfield, Hampshire, and studied at the Academy of Art, Corsham. Hitchens started exhibiting in the 1960s with a series of solo exhibitions, notably with the Marjorie Parr Gallery in London. His work is represented in several public and private collections in England and overseas.
He lives near Petworth, West Sussex and works at the studio his father built in the woods.
In March 2020 Southampton City Art Gallery mounted a major retrospective of John Hitchens' paintings, covering more than five decades of his work.
Exhibitions featuring work by John Hitchens, his father Ivon, his grandfather Alfred, and his son Simon, a sculptor, were held at Kevis House Gallery in Petworth in 2019 and at [https://southamptoncityartgallery.com/whats-on/the-hitchens-family-a-shared-love-of-landscape/ Southampton City Art Gallery] in 2022/3.<ref>''The Hitchens Family: A Shared Love of Landscape'' Southampton City Art Gallery 12.11.22-4.3.23</ref>
== Work in public and private collections == *Bradford City Art Gallery *Brighton Museum & Art Gallery *Brasenose College, Oxford *New College, Oxford. *Ferens Art Gallery, Hull *Magdalene College, Cambridge *Nuffield College, Oxford *University of Chichester *Towner Gallery, Eastbourne *Leicester University *Southampton City Art Gallery *[https://www.chippenham.gov.uk/chippenham-museum/ Chippenham Museum and Art Collection]
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == * ''Artists in Britain since 1945'', Sansom & Company, 2006 {{ISBN|9780953260959}} * ''Marjorie Parr – Chelsea and St Ives Art Dealer'', Old Bakehouse Publications, 2008 {{ISBN|9781905967179}} * ''Circles and Tangents: Art in the shadow of Cranborne Chase'', Canterton Books, 2011 {{ISBN|9780955226632}} * ''John Hitchens – Aspects of Landscape'', contributor Anne-Katrin Purkiss, Sansom & Company, 2020 {{ISBN|9781911408505}} * ''South Downs Showcase'', Lodsworth Heritage Society, 2021 {{ISBN|9781399906265}} * ''Convergence – Paintings by John Hitchens'', Felix & Spear Gallery, 2022 {{ISBN|9781739752804}} * ''The Art of Chichester, 60 Years'', York House Books, 2022 {{ISBN|9781399921565}} * ''Migrating Thoughts – Work by John Hitchens'', Chippenham Museum & Art Gallery, 2024 {{ISBN|9780995761926}} * ''John Hitchens – Elements of Landscape'', contributor Anne-Katrin Purkiss, Sansom & Company, 2025 {{ISBN|9781915670182}}
== External links == * {{Official website}} * {{Art UK bio}} * Publications at the National Art Library [https://nal-vam.on.worldcat.org/search?sortKey=LIBRARY&databaseList=&queryString=John+Hitchens&changedFacet=author&scope=wz%3A8238&format=all&database=all&author=Hitchens%2C+John&year=all&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=all&topic=all] * [https://www.felixandspear.com/john-hitchens Felix & Spear Gallery] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U77ZQJpZzH4 From Sombre Lands: Piano Composition after a painting by John Hitchens (2013)] * [http://www.artnet.com/artists/john-hitchens/ www.artnet.com] * [http://artist.christies.com/John-Hitchens--27138.aspx Christies Auctions past results for John Hitchens]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchens, John}} Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century English painters Category:21st-century English painters Category:English male painters Category:21st-century English male artists Category:Alumni of Bath School of Art and Design Category:Artists from Sussex Category:People from Hove Category:Rother Valley artists Category:20th-century English male artists Category:People educated at Bedales School