The Estate of Keith Cunningham
The Lost Master
Keith Cunningham: The Lost Master
HENI is proud to unveil Keith Cunningham: The Lost Master — a landmark commercial exhibition offering collectors the opportunity to acquire original works by one of the most gifted, yet mysteriously absent, voices in post-war art. Opening on 13 June and running until 26 June 2025, this landmark show unveils an extraordinary collection of previously unseen oil paintings, drawings and sky studies in pastel and watercolour.
Keith Cunningham (1929–2014) was a painter of astonishing skill, widely admired by peers and mentors alike. He trained at the Royal College of Art in the 1950s alongside Leon Kossoff and Joe Tilson and was a revered contemporary of Francis Bacon and Frank Bowling - a group that would go on to define post-war British art.
"I was very interested in him and had respect for his outstanding talent."
- Frank Auerbach
Unlike his contemporaries, however, Cunningham walked away from the spotlight. By the late 1960s, he had turned his back on the public art world entirely, and for more than four decades his talent was known only to a circle of insiders — but unseen and undistracted Cunningham quietly created some of the most powerful and uncompromising works of post-war British art.
The Lost Master is not only a rare chance to view this remarkable artists work, but also a unique opportunity to collect it. A controlled selection of works that highlight the breadth and brilliance of a true modern master will be available to apply to purchase exclusively through HENI Primary.
This includes a previously unseen group of Sky Studies, divided into Pastels and Watercolours. These signed, original works offer a compelling primary market entry point for collectors.
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Oil Paintings
As part of a unique curatorial decision, the public exhibition will include a secluded, softly lit space - tucked behind a velvet curtain - where a rare selection of Cunningham’s most exquisite oil paintings will be on display. Striking for their psychological depth and material intensity, often heavy in palette and rough in texture, these works evoke the haunting atmosphere of the Old Masters he admired.
Available to access by all, but sold by appointment with the curator, this hidden room offers collectors and curious visitors a rare opportunity to experience some of the artist’s most intimate and rarely seen works, presented in an atmosphere that closely mirrors the privacy in which they were created.
To schedule an appointment with the curator please email [email protected].
HENI Gallery
Opening event: Thursday 12 June, 6pm – 8pm
Exhibition dates: 13 June – 26 June 2025
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Address: HENI Gallery - 6-10 Lexington St, London, W1F 0LB.
Admission: Free Entry
About Keith Cunningham
Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1929, Keith Cunningham moved to London in 1949, studying first at the Central School of Art before earning a place at the Royal College of Art. There, he trained alongside Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff and Joe Tilson, key figures in post-war British art. Painter and teacher John Minton praised Cunningham as ‘one of the most talented artists of his year’ while Auerbach described his paintings as ‘very distinguished’ and ‘full of nervous life’.
After graduating in 1956, Cunningham exhibited at the Royal Academy and the influential Beaux Arts Gallery, and was twice selected to show with the prestigious London Group.
Though praised by critics and collectors alike, Cunningham chose to retreat from the public art world, ceasing to exhibit entirely by 1967. When Cunningham passed in 2014 at the age of 85, he left behind an extraordinary body of work spanning large-scale oils, delicate pen-and-ink drawings, and lyrical sky studies in pastel and watercolour.
Cunningham walked alongside giants but chose obscurity. Upon his death Keith entrusted his life’s work to his wife, designer and Central Saint Martins professor Bobby Hillson. With immense care and reverence, she began to bring his hidden legacy into the light. The Estate is now presenting Cunningham's works through a thoughtful, controlled release.
