Episode Details

Discover the forgotten heroes of British art: the East London Group, a powerhouse collective of working-class painters led by John Cooper, who turned everyday lives into masterpieces. After WWI, Cooper taught art in Bethnal Green and Bow, taking students to galleries and exposing them to culture—turning window cleaners and boot repairmen into acclaimed artists. Their bold, raw work exploded onto the scene, with hundreds of paintings shown between 1929 and 1936, even sending artists to the Venice Biennale. Author David Buckman spent nine years resurrecting their story from the ashes of the Blitz, interviewing survivors and families to piece together a vibrant, overlooked legacy. This book isn’t just history—it’s a vivid, emotional journey into a London lost to time, proving art can rise from the most humble roots.

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