Queen's Medical Centre Chapel

In January 1979, Brian Clarke saw his specially commissioned stained glass window installed in the chapel of Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham. In preparation for this project, which spanned three years, Clarke painted 45 canvases. These, together with the 200-square-foot window, constituted the artist’s first major commission, and one of the largest public art installations in the United Kingdom in that period.

The BBC filmed the process of painting and the installation of the chapel window, Arcadian Landscape, for the 1979 Omnibus film Brian Clarke: The Story So Far. The window was a gift to the Queen’s Medical Centre from the hospital’s architects and formed part of the exhibition Clarke co-curated for the Festival of the City of London with war artist John Piper, and art historian Martin Harrison, GLASS/LIGHT.

As part of this scheme, Clarke designed two sets of liturgical vestments in Thai silk and gold thread for the Reverend John Finch, then vicar of St Helen’s, Churchtown and later honorary curate at St Thomas’, Garstang. The embroidered vestments were made by Liz Williamson. In line with Clarke’s architectonic philosophy, textiles, stained glass and oil paint respond to each other, to produce an integrated artistic vision.

In January 1979 The Evening Post writes:

‘The architects originally approached Brian with a request for a stained glass window, but his response was that he would design the whole chapel rather than create a window which would be ‘out of context’ with the rest. This is how University Hospital now has a room which is a work of art in itself – a truly unique hospital chapel.’