Exclusive paintings of Glastonbury festival by leading British artist Kurt Jackson raised £68,000 for Greenpeace when they were auctioned last weekend. As a long-time Greenpeace supporter Kurt generously gave us 29 artworks from his time as artist-in-residence at the festival. They were all painted in situ, and included portraits of Radiohead, Massive Attack, Lily Allen, Amadou and Neil Young, plus some amazing landscapes and scenes from the festival.
Kurt has been documenting Glastonbury for many years, and loves its unpredictable environment:
"Fun and politics are a great mix – so… I go to Glastonbury Festival to work – I sketch and draw and paint and scribble above the crowds, in the crowds, under peoples feet, in their faces; I aim to immerse myself in the Glastonbury experience and come away with some kind of record on paper showing what I’ve seen, felt and experienced."
The auction came just before the 40th anniversaries of both the Glastonbury Festival and Greenpeace. The two have been intimately entwined throughout the years with Greenpeace running its own field at the festival since 1995, and Kurt feels a strong connection with both:
"The great thing about Glastonbury is that it’s about fun and delight (and a bit of hedonism) but also engages with the serious issues of the future of the planet and our environment. Forty years of Glastonbury – I’ve been at most of them, I’ve painted over a quarter of them. Greenpeace has also been there throughout my life and their fortieth is coming up. Glastonbury and Greenpeace have become entwined, woven together as an important strand of my working and political life."
This is the third auction in which Kurt has donated his works to support the three main charities of Glastonbury Festival: WaterAid, Oxfam and Greenpeace. Each has been a huge success with over £150,000 being raised so far.
