Philip Dunn, who has been referred to as “Brighton’s favourite artist,” is stepping back from running his Ditchling gallery and picture-framing workshop.
After more than 60 years of painting and over 40 years of managing art galleries in Brighton and Ditchling, Mr Dunn will now move his studio to his home.
Mr Dunn is well-known for his vibrant paintings of Brighton and Hove’s seafront and piers, the Birdcage Bandstand, and the Royal Pavilion.
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His colourful depictions of deckchairs have become a well-loved emblem of the city.
From his Window Gallery in the Lanes, Mr Dunn has sold numerous original paintings and thousands of prints, many of which are still displayed in the homes of Brighton and Hove residents.
In the late 1980s, he organised popular Community Art Exhibitions in the Brighton Corn Exchange.
In 2019, he was named Highly Commended Artist of the Year by the Brighton Artists’ Open Houses, an organisation he is the last active founder member of.
He also sponsors Art in Ditchling.
Mr Dunn, who lives in a cottage in Ditchling with his wife, Veryan Greenwood, and their dachshund, Panache, graduated from the Hornsey College of Art in 1968.
He moved to Brighton the following year to gain a teaching qualification and taught art in secondary schools for several years while building his portfolio.
He began exhibiting his paintings in London, Bath, and Brighton in the 1970s, eventually leaving teaching to focus on painting full-time.
Mr Dunn’s garden, which he designed and his wife has enhanced, opens for charity garden trails in the village during the summer.
He now plans a European road trip with Veryan and Panache in July to enjoy the freedom of no longer running a business.