Remfry is known for grand-scale watercolours of dancers and nightclubs, as well as pictures of friends and visitors to his studio in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.
His career includes more than 60 solo shows across Europe and the USA.
The new retrospective exhibition will feature more than 60 of Remfry’s paintings and drawings, some of which have never been exhibited before.
These will be on display at Beverley Art Gallery from Tuesday, March 25, until Saturday, June 21.
Remfry produced some of his earliest works as a student at Hull College of Art, under the tutelage of artist Gerald Harding.
A number of his student drawings will be on display for the first time, showcasing the skill and technique that would make him a sought-after artist in the decades that followed.
A focal point of the exhibition will be the paintings that Remfry created after seeing the famous girl group, The Ronettes, on British television.
In 1963, while still at art college, Remfry created hundreds of paintings of the trio, capturing the colours, shapes, and rhythms of the group and the generation they represented.
These paintings would influence his huge watercolours of various dancers, which became one of his most famous themes and led to an international touring show.
Remfry’s career also took him to New York City, where he created a series of drawings and paintings of his neighbours and visitors to his studio.
These feature people including Quentin Crisp, actors Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, and Ethan Hawke, and philanthropist Agnes Gund.
A selection of these works will feature in the upcoming exhibition.
Now in his 81st year, Remfry will be returning to the East Riding with his work for the first time in 20 years.
From portraits to still life, small-scale drawings to large-scale paintings, visitors will be able to trace the artist’s career from his Yorkshire origins to London, New York, and beyond.
Remfry said: “I’ve always thought of Yorkshire as ‘where I’m from’ and I’m grateful to Hannah Willetts, the curator of the Beverley Art Gallery, for supporting this in-depth review of my work to date.
“I’m excited to see it all brought together in this way for the first time.”
In the final week of the exhibition, there will be a special event featuring Remfry in conversation with Sarah Victoria Turner, director of the Paul Mellon Centre for Research in British Art.
More details will be made available soon for this ticketed event on the East Riding Museums ‘What’s On’ page.
