Bonner David Galleries is hosting Skyward, a captivating new exhibition by Peregrine Heathcote, on view at their New York gallery from Thursday 26th June through Friday 8th August 2025, at 22 E. 81st Street #1, just steps from the Met.
Born in London in 1973, Peregrine Heathcote graduated from the Florence Academy of Art in 1995, and currently lives and works in the UK. His paintings conjure a world of intoxicating glamour and intrigue, slipping across the boundaries of time to fuse iconic pre-war design with modern conceptions of beauty and silverscreen-era romance.
It should come as no surprise to learn he’s inspired by the films of directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, as well as artists such as Windslow Homer.
His images could depict a dream world – the pure artistic vision of a painter fascinated with the bygone glamour of his parents’ youth and his own childhood spent in Britain and Dubai, but also by the contemporary incarnation of glamour in an international jet-set culture.
Heathcote’s romantic, transportive works are known for their nostalgic allure, elegant figures, cinematic settings, and timeless machines, brought to life in lush detail and rich color.
Skyward explores the UK-based painter’s enduring fascination with travel, cinema, and the extraordinary innovations that have shaped global transportation over the past century.
Heathcote’s narrative paintings feature a main character caught in a moment of dramatic intensity or contemplation, often set against a landscape that incorporates vintage cars, airplanes, yachts, and even hot air balloons.
“I like the idea that the viewer is walking into an intimate moment of the characters through these new paintings,” says Heathcote. “Contemplative, still and elegant figures pausing in a quiet moment of reflection, lost in thought.”
While these machines of yesterday play a major role in the visual aesthetic of Heathcote’s work, the main focus is still a strong, independent female caught in his cinematic gaze.
“The backdrops are bathed in warm light and painted using rich and vibrant colours,” says Heathcote. “This transports the viewer into another world, frames from movies that are not made, and leaves the viewer wondering ‘what will happen to the characters in the next moment?”
His love of art developed at a young age, at around ten years old, inspired by a teacher at school called Jenny Trussell.
“Her lessons were the highlight of my week,” he told Area of Design in 2022. “I can still visualise her infectious smile and the tasks she set us in her classes took me on wonderful imaginary journeys. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude… how lucky to have been in her classes… she was a truly inspiring teacher. The path to artist was a direct route from that time.”
Heathcote’s work is also inspired by retro cinema, and how viewers may respond to the heroine’s situation.
“To paraphrase noted film theorist John Boorstin, I would also like to provide the viewer with a scene for the sheer sake of being carried away, maybe in some of the paintings, even a preserved shared connection with the protagonist’s fate.”
For gallery director Rebecca Rosenfield, collectors have always responded to the nostalgia of Heathcote’s work and the visual strength of the vision he creates within the frames of his paintings.
“His work is so romantic, always, and he creates scenes complete with beautiful people in beautiful clothing in beautiful places,” says Rosenfield. “It is so hard not to fall in love when you are looking deeply into his work. The detail and depth of colour capture the viewer by creating a pause for them to look at every inch of the painting.
“It’s also incredible how diverse his collectors are, from aviation enthusiasts to cinema buffs to golfers, only a true talent can create paintings that speak to so many people.”
• Skyward by Peregrine Heathcote, Thursday 26th June through Friday 8th August 2025, Bonner David Galleries, at 22 E. 81st Street #1 New York | Exhibition Details here Exhibition Catalogue | Follow Peregrine Heathcote on Facebook | Instagram: @peregrineheathcote | X
• Hear artist Peregrine Heathcote share the inspiration behind his new painting “Theatre Foyer”, a featured work in this upcoming exhibit in our New York gallery
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, Other Worlds
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