The retrospective exhibition of paintings, stained glass artworks, architectural designs and works on paper by Brian Clarke, Brian Clarke: Malerei und Farbfenster 1977–1988, was held at the Hessian State Museum in Darmstadt.

In his essay ‘Brian Clarke – The Hovering Target’ for the exhibition catalogue, Peter Cook writes:

‘Brian Clarke is really fascinated with architecture Not just his favourite buildings (about which he can be highly articulate), not just his favourite architects (with whom he relates quite naturally and relaxedly). More with the sense of cut and thrust and lurch and swing by which the dynamics of operation and multiple range of tactics that go to make up great architecture are orchestrated. In other words, his thinking range and artistic range is highly analogous to architecture in its comprehensive sense.

The paintings are often, however, quite luscious in their own right. Along with their sense of confidence and unambiguous colouration there stand the matrices of crosses - almost always there. And this pair of observations pervades almost all one has to say.

The glass is often, of course, quite haunting in its own right. There is never any avoidance of the power of coloured glass- no escape down the side territory of graphical posing and tentative coloration that one finds in tiresome and weak artists who use this medium.’