Bright Poppies, 1965

Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979) was a British painter celebrated for his vibrant, panoramic landscape paintings. After his London studio was bombed during WWII, Hitchens escaped to the countryside where he lived, initially in a caravan, with his wife and son. For the rest of his life Hitchens would paint his wild Sussex gardens and surrounding woodland, endlessly inspired by the changing seasons and often painting in the open air. Hitchens' richly coloured, semi-abstract works have earned him a place as one of Britain's most popular modern painters.