The Turning Point | St Ives School of Painting

By the 1970s, St Ives School of Painting was facing an uncertain future. Its founders had passed away, the art world was changing and the historic Porthmeor Studios were increasingly vulnerable. Yet a small group of determined people ensured that the School – and its place within St Ives’ artistic community – survived.

And now, through our new short film, The Turning Point, we explore this pivotal period in the School’s history: from its founding in 1938 and its place within the story of British modernism to its decline, renewal and continuing purpose today.

The Turning Point for St Ives School of Painting is one of five films in the St Ives Stories collection. Together, the films explore the culture and history of St Ives, from its hidden creative spaces to its fishing heritage, as told by storytellers from across the community.

Film Screenings in September

St Ives Stories (A collection of films)
Royal Cinema, St Ives

Date: Wednesday 16 September
Screening: 19.30
Venue: Royal Cinema, Royal Square, St Ives, TR26 2ND
Entry: £9, tickets coming soon

The Turning Point for St Ives School of Painting
Porthmeor Studios, St Ives

Date: Wednesday 23 September
Screenings: On the hour, every hour from 10am-4pm
Venue: Borlase Smart Room, Porthmeor Studios, TR26 1NG
Entry: Free, no booking required. Places first come, first serve.

The story before The Turning Point

St Ives School of Painting opened in April 1938, realising a promise made by artists Borlase Smart and Leonard Fuller while serving in the trenches of the First World War: if they survived, they would one day live and paint in St Ives. Smart went on to become known for his boldly painted seascapes and played an important role in championing the town’s artists. By the mid-1930s, he recognised the need for a central art school in St Ives and persuaded Fuller – then a successful portrait painter and Drawing Master at Dulwich College – to leave London and establish the School in Porthmeor Studios. It quickly attracted students from Britain and overseas.

Just a year later, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Naum Gabo arrived in St Ives, joining an artistic community that already included potter Bernard Leach. Together, they helped establish the town as a centre for modern art with an international reputation. Leonard Fuller welcomed these new ideas, while Borlase Smart invited Nicholson and Hepworth to join the St Ives Society of Artists. Younger artists including Peter Lanyon, Terry Frost and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham also made regular use of the School – particularly its life-drawing classes -placing it at the heart of an increasingly vibrant and influential creative community.

A Glimpse Inside St Ives School of Painting in 1948

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The turning point

Following Leonard Fuller’s death in the mid-1970s, his widow Marjorie continued his work, determined to keep the School going during an increasingly uncertain period. In 1975, she turned to Roy Ray – a practising artist and London lampshade maker who knew the School from visits during the 1960s – and asked him to take on the role of Principal. What he found on his arrival, and how he set about reviving the School, is a story best left to those who witnessed it. Through their memories – some poignant, others decidedly humorous – the film reveals how Roy restored momentum, introduced new ideas and began laying the foundations for the School’s future.

Renewal, but not security

Interest in St Ives and its artistic legacy began to grow again, helped by the Tate Gallery’s landmark 1985 exhibition, St Ives 1939-64. The campaign for a permanent gallery in the town was later launched from the School, contributing to the opening of Tate St Ives in 1993. Yet renewed recognition did not guarantee the School’s survival. Porthmeor Studios remained vulnerable, with the building deteriorating under the effects of its exposed coastal setting and its future far from assured.

Protecting the studios would require determination, campaigning and significant investment. The story became about more than preserving an important historic building, it was about ensuring that Porthmeor remained a place where art continued to be made and taught. The film explores how that future was secured – and why the survival of working creative places like St Ives School of Painting still matters today.

St Ives School of Painting Today

Today, Porthmeor Studios remain working creative spaces. The studios remain as the home of St Ives School of Painting. Students continue to paint from the same studios, encounter the St Ives landscape and learn from practising artists. The survival of the School means that this history is not confined to an archive – it continues to be shaped by everyone who enters the studios.

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Discover the story at Porthmeor Studios

Join us on 23 September for a free screening of The Turning Point, shown in the historic Porthmeor Studios where much of this story unfolded. Screenings will take place on the hour, every hour from 10am-4pm.

Can’t join us in St Ives? Return to this page following the release to watch the film online – sign up below to be kept up to date on the launch release.

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