Artwork by 20th century British artists – including work by Iris Murdoch displayed in public for the first time – will be part of a major new exhibition at the University of Chichester.
From 14 August to 10 December this year, the Otter Collective at the University of Chichester is hosting a retrospective exhibition to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre on the Bishop Otter Campus.
Artworks by British artists connected to Murdoch, such as Margaret Benyon, Barbara Dorf, Rachel Fenner, Sargy Mann, Tom Phillips, Reynolds Stone and Harry Weinberger will be on display alongside contemporary works inspired by Murdoch by Kevin Petrie, Carol Sommer and James Jefferies.
The main attraction, however, will be a significant number of artworks by the novelist and philosopher Dame Iris Murdoch, almost all of which have never been on public display before and some of which have been recently discovered.
Art was central to her life and work, and this exhibition will include personal effects and correspondence from Murdoch to highlight the development of her own art in relation to her life and work.
Dr Miles Leeson, Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre and Reader in English Literature, said: “This exhibition represents a remarkable opportunity to celebrate ten years of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre while revealing a largely unseen dimension of Murdoch’s creative life. By bringing together her own artworks, personal correspondence and works by artists connected to or inspired by her, the exhibition offers fresh insight into the relationship between art, philosophy and literature that shaped her thinking and continues to inspire new generations of artists and scholars.
“The tenth anniversary of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre provides the perfect occasion to showcase this extraordinary collection. The exhibition not only highlights Murdoch’s lasting influence on contemporary culture, but also uncovers her often-overlooked achievements as a visual artist, presenting many works that have never before been seen by the public.”
An exhibition launch will be held on Thursday 13 August from 2.30pm to 5pm at the University of Chichester Library at the Bishop Otter Campus, followed by the Twelfth International Iris Murdoch Conference, held at the University of Chichester from 14–16 August 2026.
The exhibition is free and open to the public from August 14 to 10 December. Find out more at: https://www.chi.ac.uk/event/iris-murdoch-amongst-the-artists/