World-renowned artist joins fight against prostate cancer
10 September 2008
Patrick Hughes, one of the leading painters of contemporary British art, is joining more than 40 of Britain’s well known male artists in the fight against prostate cancer, donating works for the Everyman Men Only exhibition to be held at Liberty from 8 to 11 September.
Hughes has created a new work of art to donate to the exhibition which will hang along-side pieces donated by Damien Hirst, Sir Peter Blake, Rankin, Martin Parr and Ken Howard.
Funds raised during the auction, led by Nick Bonham will go towards world leading prostate cancer research at The Institute of Cancer Research’s Everyman Centre.
The works are to be auctioned in memory of artist Allister Bowtell who died of prostate cancer in 2006, aged 66. As fellow members of the Chelsea Arts Club, Hughes and Bowtell were friends for more than twenty years, with the late Bowtell creating a sculpture of Hughes which sits in the club today.
Hughes’ new image, called Wee Rainbow, pictures a man urinating a rainbow into the sky. The light-hearted drawing is a colourful take on a devastating disease which often first makes itself known to the sufferer through problems with their water-works.
Hughes is determined to raise money for research into prostate cancer so that other men can avoid Allister Bowtell’s fate.
“Allister was a dear friend who unfortunately, like 10,000 other men in the UK that year, lost his battle to the disease. I wanted to create something different and extraordinary in his memory,” Hughes said.
“There’s nothing like a rainbow to raise smiles, they’re like only a few other fantastic things in the world, such as lightning that can never be called for or predicted.”
Allister Bowtell’s wife, Pat is delighted that Hughes has created and donated such an iconic image for the exhibition. She said: “Through Men Only, Allister’s art is being kept alive and hopefully through money raise others will not have to endure Allister’s fate.”
Head of the Everyman Centre Professor Colin Cooper welcomed the support of one of Britain’s leading artists.
“The generosity of these artists is impressive,” he said. “The funds raised through the auctioning of their artwork will go towards helping fund research into developing better treatments for men with prostate cancer.”
To find out more, visit www.menonlyart.co.uk or call 0207 153 5378.
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For more information please contact:
Dominique Vincent
02071535312 / 07721 747 900
Notes to Editor
- Allister Bowtell was a sculptor, film designer and model maker. His pieces included the bronze sculpture of two children playing, commissioned for the Sloane Square refurbishment in London. He made models for Dr Who, Monty Python and The Goodies.
- Men Only has been organised by Everyman in conjunction with Bowtell’s wife Pat Scovell-Bowtell.
- Everyman is a campaign run by The Institute of Cancer Research, to raise awareness and fund research into prostate and testicular cancer at The Everyman Centre – Europe’s first and only centre dedicated to male cancer research.
- The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
- Prostate cancer has overtaken lung cancer to become the most common cancer in men affecting almost 35,000 men every year in the UK. About 10,000 men die each year of the disease in the UK – equating to one man every hour.
