Selecting Bob Linney

Posted byNigel BallPosted inExhibitions, Graphic Design, Illustration, Research, Finding Bob Linney

A flurry of activity has been happening recently around the Finding Bob Linney exhibition—we now have a poster and social media assets to start getting the news out and about, The Cut exhibition webpage is now live, and as of yesterday, Jacky, Tony and I have selected what we want in the show.

A drawing on a man with outstretched arms and oversized hands, and the text: Finding Bob Linney at the top. All other text is within this blog post.

When I say selected, what I mean is a first run through of everything available, and the piles we have made in different plan chest drawers will now need to be weeded through again. For despite the fact we are taking over the cafe and the stairwell, as well as the gallery at The Cut arts centre in Halesworth, there is still not enough space for all of Linney’s work! The man was nothing if not prolific.

A man looking at some posters on the floor and someone slightly hidden by his side holding artwork.
A woman pointing to a large poster
A set of draws with one open and a blurred hand pulling a red poster out.
a set of draws with a blurred figure to the right bent over two posters in a pulled out draw.

I’ve also been working on an introductory text panel, and it has been a challenge to bring 50 years of history of one person in at around 250 words. The history takes in Birmingham Arts Lab, a move to London and Linney’s X3 Posters business with Ken Meharg, the posters and marketing materials he did for the Arts Council’s Contemporary Music Network, work from his time at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, (ICA), and moving to Suffolk and starting the Health Images charity. Not to mention all the local projects he did from his and Jacky’s home in Walpole for fairs, theatre productions, artists exhibitions and activist groups, and commercial work for The National Trust and others.

The Health Images material has been particularly fascinating, going through plan chest draws of prints made in India, Africa, and elsewhere, with community-workers using their local knowledge to interpret best how to convey important medical messages.

A poster of two people with the text: Aids kiss Use A condom.
A image of a woman lying on a bed. The top one she has a net over her and is smiling. The bottom one has no net at she is sad.

The very rare poster of The Police Jacky found pales into insignificance when you take on board such life and death visual messaging from ‘developing’ countries. But it is a stunner, none-the-less, and one of the few punk works of his X3 Posters days that are left in Jacky’s possession.

A poster with black and white checks around the edges, the word POLICE large at the top, and three people pictured twice, the first time standing in the distance, the second close up at the bottom.

In one draw we found lots of watercolour personal work, some satirical, some political. These are A1+, fully designed posters on thick watercolour paper that Linney made for his own personal satisfaction with no client or purpose in mind. Some of the typography is incredible—he was clearly just exercising his craft and mastering his skills.

An illustrated abstract typographic poster.
A poster featuring a man sitting on a box eating a banana under trees growing bananas and a hut, and a ship in the distance. Text is above and below the image.

And the variety—if you’ve seen some of Bob Linney’s work and think you know what it looks like, think again. The subheading of the exhibition: an exhibition of a graphic life, chosen by Jacky, couldn’t be more appropriate.

Abstract colourful shapes pointing in different directions and some heads and hands at the bottom, The words Coin Street can be seen
A vinyl single in white, with The Beloved written on it and a squiggly line.
Two posters one with a man standing in blue, the other with a man sitting at a table in red.

There’s still lots to do, and I’ve now got to start working on an accompanying fanzine that will be sold at The Cut alongside the exhibition, but there is a tangible sense that everything is now coming together.

Finding Bob Linney: an exhibition of a graphic life
The Cut arts centre, Halesworth, Suffolk
Opens Tuesday 27 May and runs until Saturday 18 July
Launch event: 12pm on Saturday 30 May
Closing lecture: 2pm Saturday 18 July

Published by Nigel Ball

Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design