Brian Clarke The Vespers

HENI is proud to present The Vespers by Sir Brian Clarke, 12 limited edition prints and the second collection drawn from Clarke’s pivotal Vespers watercolours. These works are part of a series of prints conceived and completed by Clarke in the final months of his life. The rest of the prints are planned to be released over the next few years.

HENI is committed to celebrating and recognising Brian’s legacy.

The Vespers works are Giclée prints on Cotton Smooth Rag, presented in oak frames with UV-protected acrylic glass. Six of the artworks measure 130 x 90 cm and six measure 90 x 130 cm (framed). Each print is from an edition of 50 (+ 12 APs) and priced at $2,000 (plus applicable taxes). All works are numbered and hand-signed on the front by the artist.

The editions are available by application until 17:00 BST on 8 September 2025.

About The Vespers

The prints are based on watercolours from the Vespers series, a body of work which draws on Clarke’s longstanding romance with poppies. The forms appear at first glance to be poppies, with their thin, green paint-drip stems and vivid scarlet petals, but they quickly take on a more abstract, changeable appearance. Clarke calls these mesmerising interactions of light and colour “vespers”. He explains, “Vespers comes from the Greek hespera, meaning evening – they are evening prayers.”

Critic Robert Storr praises Clarke’s technique, “Clarke is able to eke out subtle suggestions of formal flux and volume from the various transparencies and opacities of a single spontaneous stroke,” calling the Vespers series “an explosive bouquet of natural beauty at its most ephemeral.”

Originally painted through the pandemic, and first exhibited at Phillips, London in 2021, these meditative works capture Clarke’s activity during this turbulent time.

Sir Brian Clarke

Sir Brian Clarke was an internationally acclaimed artist whose work spanned a wide range of genres and mediums.

Clarke died on 1 July 2025 at age 71. Widely regarded as the most important contemporary artist working in stained glass, across his fifty-year career he revolutionised the stained glass medium not only technologically but also philosophically, pushing the boundaries of what it can achieve. Equally important was his pictorial practice, explored in painting, sculpture, lead work, mosaic, drawing, collage and tapestry.

His unique and radical approach earned him numerous awards and honours, and his artworks have been shown in prestigious collections and institutions worldwide such as The Victoria and Albert Museum, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Corning Museum of Glass New York and Tate London. . To learn more about Brian Clarke and his work, visit his official website.

The Vespers Book & Merchandise

Published in 2021, Vespers is a luminous hardback book showcasing the vast collection of over 500 watercolour poppies by British painter and architectural artist Sir Brian Clarke, it features a preface by the artist and an introduction by renowned writer and art critic Robert Storr. The book is available on the HENI shop.

You can also buy exclusive merchandise featuring the Vespers and other works by Sir Brian Clarke on the HENI shop.

Visit HENI Gallery

The Vespers are on display at HENI Gallery from 1 until 8 September. Admission to the gallery is free.

HENI Gallery
6-10 Lexington St, London W1F 0LB
Open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 6pm.