The exhibition Brian Clarke: On Line, which opened in January 2020 at TheGallery at Arts University Bournemouth, followed Brian Clarke’s investigations into the line through painting, stained glass, collage and sculpture across 50 years.

In the catalogue for the exhibition, co-curator Paul Greenhalgh writes:

‘I was struck, when exploring the Brian Clarke Studio, at the huge number of sketchbooks the artist has filled over the years. Many of these are now preserved and ordered in his archives. As one moves through the pages, one can see that they have collectively fed his art throughout his working life. There are observational drawings of people and places, mark-making exercises to do with surfaces and spaces, preparatory studies for compositions in paint and glass, collaged scenes, combinations of word and image and caricatures and jokes. Some forms have been treated again and again, with ongoing adjustments, in a search for the right balance and poise.’