Doreen Fletcher's atmospheric paintings of London's East End reveal three decades of change

Doreen Fletcher’s atmospheric urban landscapes have only recently captured an audience when the discovery of her paintings revealed a distinctive vision of the changing capital.

All images courtesy of Bow Arts. Commercial Road, Whitsunday, 1989 © Doreen Fletcher

All images courtesy of Bow Arts. Commercial Road, Whitsunday, 1989 © Doreen Fletcher

For the first time, the Nunnery Gallery will bring the majority of her work back under one roof, in the home of their making – the East End.

The works reveal the drastic changes of east London’s streets across just three decades, remembering the businesses long forgotten and the buildings that have since been knocked down. A superb colourist, she applies her rigorous technique to recording the drama of the city in compelling and authoritative images.

For twenty years Doreen painted the streets of east London until discouraged by lack of recognition, she gave up in 2004. Only a chance meeting with The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life brought her painting to public attention in 2015. For the first time, this retrospective reveals the full breadth of Doreen Fletcher’s achievement between 1983 and 2004, showing the largest selection of her paintings together, and including many previously unseen pictures from private collections.

Doreen Fletcher’s retrospective at the Nunnery Gallery from 25 January coincides with the publication of a monograph of her work by Spitalfields Life Books (published November 2018). Discover more of her work at doreenfletcherartist.com.

Bartlett Park, 1990 © Doreen Fletcher

Bartlett Park, 1990 © Doreen Fletcher

Ragged School Museum, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

Ragged School Museum, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

St George in the East, 1991 © Doreen Fletcher

St George in the East, 1991 © Doreen Fletcher

Rene's Cafe, 1986 © Doreen Fletcher

Rene's Cafe, 1986 © Doreen Fletcher

Tyre Shop, Salmon Lane, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

Tyre Shop, Salmon Lane, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

Bus Stop, 1983 © Doreen Fletcher

Bus Stop, 1983 © Doreen Fletcher

The Cottage, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

The Cottage, 2017 © Doreen Fletcher

Benjy's, Mile End, 1992 © Doreen Fletcher

Benjy's, Mile End, 1992 © Doreen Fletcher

Salmon Lane in the Rain, 1987 © Doreen Fletcher

Salmon Lane in the Rain, 1987 © Doreen Fletcher

Mile End with Canal, 1986 © Doreen Fletcher

Mile End with Canal, 1986 © Doreen Fletcher

Corner Shop, Canning Town, 1994 © Doreen Fletcher

Corner Shop, Canning Town, 1994 © Doreen Fletcher

Paddington Station at Night, 1992 © Doreen Fletcher

Paddington Station at Night, 1992 © Doreen Fletcher

Dental Surgery, 2018 © Doreen Fletcher

Dental Surgery, 2018 © Doreen Fletcher

Fishmongers, Commercial Road, 2003 © Doreen Fletcher

Fishmongers, Commercial Road, 2003 © Doreen Fletcher

Doreen Fletcher in her studio

Doreen Fletcher in her studio

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