Photo: My partner, Philip Munro. Died 13.1.89. Aged 34 by Gary Sollars. © Gary Sollars. Image courtesy of The Walker.
December 1 is World Aids Day and The Walker is displaying a painting by Gary Sollars entitled 'My partner, Philip Munro. Died 13.1.89. Aged 34' to commemorate the occasion.
The oil painting will be on display on the first floor of the gallery from November 27 to December 7.
"We have hung it in the entrance hall so that every visitor to the gallery will pass it," says Steve Guy, a spokesman for The Walker.
It is a moving painting showing the moment of death of Sollars’ partner of thirteen years, Philip Munro, from an Aids related illness.
Painted ten years ago, five years after Munro’s death, Sollars describes it as his “first real painting”. He says that it was the final homage he made after a five year grieving process that included taking Philip’s ashes to Uluru (Ayres Rock).
Dying from Aids is a dark and personal subject and one that hit the headlines in the 1990s in Benetton’s controversial advertising campaign. But Oliviero Toscani’s provocative photograph, showing a dying Aids patient, has an altogether different mood and tone to Sollars’ painting which is a touching tribute to his partner Philip Munro.
The painting shows Munro lying on a hospital bed, a vase of daffodils on his bedside table. Sollars is crouched at his side. On the other side of the bed, their faces illuminated by light and racked with grief, are Munro’s sister and Sollars’ mother. At the foot of the bed are two naked men trailing red ribbon.
Photo: the classical facade of The Walker. © Jon Pratty, 24 Hour Museum.
Although the painting depicts a very painful and personal moment Sollars believes it will have resonance for anyone who has lost a loved one. He says, "This is a painting that should be shared by anyone who has lost somebody – not necessarily through Aids."
'My partner, Philip Munro. Died 13.1.89. Aged 34' has been displayed at the National Portrait Gallery and the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester amongst others and has won the Sussex Open.
Sollars' painting is a poignant reminder of a disease that has escaped the spotlight in recent years. And what better way for The Walker to commemorate World Aids Week than with a touching portrayal of a loved one lost to Aids by a local artist.
Sollars is originally from Chester but has lived and worked in Liverpool for the past three years, a city for which he holds great affection. As well as painting, he produces installation and video work.
World Aids Day is December 1 and there are events taking place all over the UK. To find out more click here
