New University of York gallery opens with exhibition celebrating renowned painter John Langton

Posted on Tuesday 21 July 2026

The free exhibition runs from 19 June until 31 October 2026 at the historic Grade II listed Heslington Hall on the University of York campus. Titled Slow Surfacing, this inaugural display from the University Art Collection marks a significant addition to York's cultural landscape.  

Celebrating over 60 years of artwork, the exhibition highlights the versatile styles and artistic experiments of the late artist. Langton secured international fame after becoming an Artist Fellow at the University in 1978 and later received an honorary doctorate in 1995.  

The launch, which included an official opening of the Gallery by Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffery, attracted international visitors, including the artist's family from France and the United States alongside gallery experts from Germany and the Netherlands.  

The "York Four"

The display features unique items on loan from the Langton Estate that highlight his experimental techniques. Visitors can view a canvas that Langton painted using a special spray-painting method. Langton famously borrowed the technique from ceramicist David Lloyd Jones. The two creators belonged to an informal local group called the York Four.

The exhibition also documents his interactive campus legacy. Archival photographs show Langton improvising a spray-painted canvas to live piano music at a York church for an audience of students, staff and residents. Other photographs feature his wife Patricia standing next to a large ceramic panel that Langton and Lloyd Jones built together. The artwork remains on permanent display at Derwent College.

Conversations about creativity

Dr Helena Cox, Art Curator at the University of York, said: “Visiting John in his studio for over a year before he passed away was an absolute privilege. Our long conversations about creativity inspired this display. Because his family travelled from across the world to join us for the launch, it truly felt like his spirit was in the room with us.”

Dr Cox worked closely with the Langton family to research their private archive and select some of the most striking pieces from his career. An advisory board featuring experts from the University of York History of Art Department and the Borthwick Institute for Archives supported the project.  

The exhibition features many loans from the Langton Estate to showcase his diverse artistic styles. Visitors can see how Langton's career embodied the deep, historic cultural connections between the University and the city.  

Flourished

John Langton’s daughter, Jessica Langton said: “Retracing my childhood steps across the UoY campus and seeing my father’s career given new meaning and new context was such a revelation. The University campus was a fertile ground in which the seeds of my father’s art career were planted. His career, our family and our academic ambitions flourished there from the UoY’s opening years and onwards through decades. To have the chance to rediscover John’s early artworks, discover original documents, photos, catalogues, texts and collaborate with Helena Cox the curator, sharing stories and connections that made up John’s rich creative career was an unexpected delight.”