Sans Gill: Surviving an Artist

A powerful new documentary, Sans Gill: Surviving an Artist, is released this week, capturing a landmark collaboration between the Methodist Survivors’ Advisory Group (MSAG) and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.

The film follows the three-year journey to confront, contextualise and publicly exhibit Annunciation, a watercolour by the controversial artist Eric Gill, who sexually abused two of his daughters.

The exhibition marked the first time the artwork had been shown since its withdrawal from the Methodist Modern Art Collection (MMAC) in 2017. The film now offers the public an intimate look at the survivor-led process that made this possible.

A Survivor-led Reframing of a Difficult Legacy

When discussions resumed in 2022 about the future of Annunciation, the MSAG was invited to advise the Methodist Church. Survivors were clear from the outset: the artwork should not be hidden, erased or quietly forgotten.

Vivien, a member of the MSAG who took part in the project, said: “The thought was shall we take it out of the exhibition, shall we put it in the exhibition, shall we give it back? If you hide it then you're hiding the fact that this man was a paedophile and that's what's happened. The survivors have always been hidden.”

Restoring the Daughters’ Stories

A defining principle of the project was the insistence that the lives and creative work of Gill’s daughters, Petra and Elizabeth (Betty), be placed at the heart of the exhibition.

Another survivor said: “I wanted to know the other side of the story, give them a name and make them people. How did they live their lives? Who were the healthy influences on their lives? The image that I have in my mind all the time is of Petra in that cold bath with her hair down. I'm sure that water would have been freezing because it would have taken him a long time to do that picture: who was the person that got her out the bath, put a blanket round her, sat her by the fire and gave her a hot cup of tea?”

Professor Ann Sumner from the MMAC said: “This is a genuine co-curation project in which the survivors have led on all decision-making. They have helped us look anew at our watercolour… No longer will our work be hidden away but fully acknowledged in the context of Gill’s life with the observations and interpretations of the Survivors’ Group.”

The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler, Secretary of the Methodist Conference, added: “This has been an imaginative and possibly prophetic solution to what seemed an intractable problem. The Church owes a debt of thanks to the survivors for the gracious way in which they have walked with us.”

You can view the film below:

Safeguarding Commitment

The Methodist Church remains committed to safeguarding as an integral part of its life and ministry – promoting welfare, preventing abuse and responding well to those who have been harmed.

For more information or to arrange interviews about the film, please contact mediaoffice@methodistchurch.org.uk

If any content in this article has caused you, or any one you know, distress and you wish to discuss your concerns further, please do not hesitate to reach out. The Methodist Church has appointed a designated officer to engage with survivors of abuse, as well as a dedicated group of survivors who support the Church in enhancing its safeguarding practices.

For additional information or support, please contact Kate Little, Safeguarding Survivor Lead Officer by email at littlek@methodistchurch.org.uk or by phone on 020 7467 5289 or 07854 247546