Estate, Ian Breakwell © the estate of Ian Breakwell & Anthony Reynolds Gallery

Dates: 13 February – 18 April | Location: QUAD Gallery, Derby

The Elusive State of Happiness is the first major retrospective exhibition of the late Ian Breakwell (1943-2005) that explores the unique voice of this very special artist, a man with an eye for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Ian Breakwell was a world renowned and prolific artist who took a multi-media approach to his observation of the minutiae of life through a wide range of media, including visual diaries, film works, TV, audio and drawings. The humour, mischief and oblique wonder at the world that permeates his verbal and visual legacy is already legendary.

Louise Clements, Senior Curator at QUAD, said, “He was an incredible, diverse artist and this is the first major retrospective of his work, so it’s appropriate we have it here in Derby. We are excited with the show and to be able to offer audiences a full exploration of his life’s work, from diaries, audioworks, moving image expanded cinema to text, drawings and photo-collage ”. The exhibition is curated by QUAD in partnership with Anthony Reynolds Gallery and Felicity Sparrow.