- Dance Room
- Hall
- Kitchen
- Bed
- Bedroom
- Living Room
- Hall Entrance
- Front Door
- Gallery
- Bath
- Bathroom
- Studio
- 1st Floor Hall
- Top of the Stairs
- 1st Floor Gallery
- 2nd Floor Gallery
- Bedroom Sofa
RON HITCHINS
Virtual Art Gallery and living Flamenco Museum
Welcome to the Ron Hitchins (1926 - 2019) Virtual Art Galley and living Flamenco Museum.
Subscribe below and come back to visit to see how we are developing this exciting project.
About Ron Hitchins
Ron Hitchins was born in Poplar 20 April 1926. He passed away peacefully in Hackney 19 November 2019 at the age of 93.
Ron was the quintessential Londoner, born and brought up in Pennyfields, the original Limehouse Chinatown, to a Chinese father and a Lithuanian mother.
He was a Bevin Boy during the War, working down the coal mines in Nottinghamshire. He always loved Jazz, and used to spend his leave in London, jiving at the Feldman Club, later the 100 Club. He later apprenticed as a toolmaker, which would come in useful when he became a sculptor. He started his creative career by making shirts to sell in Petticoat Lane. He had them made up in the best fabrics such as Sea Island Cotton and he would personally embroider monograms on the pockets.
Ron just wanted to earn enough money to enable him to go out and dance in the evenings. He refused business offers to expand and was keen to keep his prices down, to make his shirts affordable.
Ron discovered flamenco when he saw the famous 'Antonio and Rosario' perform at the Cambridge Theatre in 1951, from then on Flamenco and later his artwork became the focus of his life. In August 1957 he jived non-stop for 24 hours and five minutes, to win a bet that he couldn't dance for a full day. (The extra five minutes or so were just added on for the joy of it).
He took up sculpture and gave up the shirts when he found he could scrape a living selling his tiles and sculptures. He was known as the Naked Sculptor, as he disliked the heat of casting his pieces clothed (and wanted the freedom, no doubt). He worked to the sound of his favourite Bebop Jazz, or Sarah Vaughan.
Virtual Art Gallery and living Flamenco Museum
Exhibitions
| Date | Medium | Colour /BW | Description | Taken by/Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June to 30 July 1964 | Gallery Card | BW | A GROUP OF SIX, The | Published by John Whibley Gallery |
| 5 January to 13 February 1965 | Gallery card | BW | ARTISTS OF THE | Published by John Whibley Gallery |
| 19 April to 7 May 1966 | Gallery card | BW | Ron Hitchins First Solo Exhibition. RH First one-man show at the John Whibley Gallery, 60 George Street, W1. | Published by John Whibley Gallery |
| 28 April 1967 | Exhibitors’ & Season Ticket | C | The Royal Academy | The Royal Academy of the Arts |
| 16 May to 3 June 1967 | Gallery card | BW | Ron Hitchins ceramic and fibreglass panels. RH solo exhibition at John Whibley Gallery, 60 George Street, W1 | Published by John Whibley Gallery |
| 7 October to 9 December 1967 | Exhibitors single season ticket | C | To The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts | The Royal Glasgow Institute of |
| Until 17 February 1968 | Gallery card | BW | Painters and | Published by John Whibley Gallery |
| Undated 5 May | Invitation | BW | From St Catherine’s | Issued by St Catherine’s College |
| 15 September to 13 October 1968 | Exhibition Catalogue | Gold | Hampstead Artists’ | Hampstead Artists’ Council Ltd |
| 19 April 1969 to 3 May 1969 | Exhibition Catalogue | C | Hackney Festival, 4th | London Borough of Hackney, Libraries and Amenities |
| 1970 | Exhibition Catalogue | B | Hackney Library | Hackney Library Services |
| 5 October 1971 | Programme | BW | A Spanish Song and | Organised by London Borough of |
| 12 November to 5 December 1971 | Exhibition Catalogue | BW | Exhibiting at Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, | Organised by the Hampstead Artists’ Council Ltd |
| 15-23 April 1977 | Exhibition Catalogue | C | 12th | Hackney Libraries and Amenities |
| Date | Medium | Colour /BW | Description | Taken by/Note |
| 12 March to 16 March 1975 | Exhibition Catalogue | Art | Hampstead Old Town | Published by The Circle Artists |
| 18 April to 2 May 1975 | Exhibition Catalogue | C | Hackney Festival, |
|
| 20-22 April 1976 | Exhibition Invitation | BW | Exhibition of | Published by RH |
| April 15-23 1977 | Exhibition catalogue | C | Annual Arts | Hackney Libraries and Amenities |
| Undated circa May 1977 | Gallery brochure | BW | Heal’s Art Gallery (Source for date: Ideal | Heal’s |
| 16 July to 14 September C1980 | Exhibition Brochure | C | An Exhibition of | Hackney Umbrella Arts Project |
| 9-15 March 1982 | Exhibition Brochure | C | 17th | Hackney Leisure Services |
| 21 November 2015 | Exhibition Brochure | BW | Open Cinema | Open School East publication. |
| Undated 15-31 October | Exhibition Catalogue | BW | Glass and | Richard Demarco |
| Undated | Exhibition Catalogue | Blue | An Exhibition of | LB Hackney Library Services |
World of Flamenco
Ron Hitchins was a living flamenco legend in the UK scene during the 60’s and 70’s but his influence spanned over 50 years. From the moment he cast eyes on Antonio and Rosario in the 1950’s at the Cambridge Theatre, his Hackney home became THE meeting place and party dance centre for every famous flamenco artist to visit the capital. The Spanish said of him “Tu eres muy Flamenca” (for us you ARE flamenco).
Artwork For Sale
Currently, Ron’s estate is being assessed, curated and valued but the entire collection will be offered to the art markets soon. Inquiries are welcomed. His bed however is offered immediately and can be viewed in situ by arrangement.
For sale:
Ron Hitchins’ Original
Four Poster Bed
Hand-made by Ron Hitchins for his own personal use, the frame is made from deal wood and decorated with 3582 hand-made 2” ceramic tiles, each one unique.
Ron constructed the bed as a present to himself for his 50th birthday in 1976. He spent nearly 15 hours a day over three months to construct it. The bed measures 1981 mm long x 2134 mm high x 1422 mm wide.
It comes with its original red velvet covering. The bed also features electric lighting at 2 corners of the canopy (not 4 as shown) and an overhead bronze-tinted mirror which can be hidden behind curtains (not included) and drawn open by means of a pull cord at the head of the bed. There are also four clips below the base which were apparently designed for use with restraints.
The bed has been solidly constructed yet designed to be easily disassembled. The top lifts off the verticle uprights and the bed base is fixed to the head and footboards by four sliding bolts.
It has been shown at several exhibitions and in 1981, Harrods offered Ron £4,000 for the bed.
There are two original drawings which will accompany the sale together with copies of various press cuttings that feature or mention the bed.
For further information or to organise a private viewing of the bed, please contact eMail: Flamenco.Jingle@hotmail.com.
Letters from the past
Ron wasn’t shy in striking up correspondences with characters that intrigued or aroused his interests. This led to many personal letters and tributes from more prominent contemporaries in the worlds of film and TV, art and flamenco, some of which will be featured here in the coming months.
Despite his nicknames of ‘The Prince of Petticoat Lane‘ and ‘El Flash‘, Hitchins didn’t court fame or fortune as he didn’t want his Hackney life to change. He did however enter into correspondence with artists he admired amongst many were Ernest Hemmingway, Sara Barass and Mario Maya. Many personal artifacts and letters survive his death and are held in the collection.
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Address
The Executor
Mike Jingle
126 Rhodrons Avenue
Chessington Surrey
KT9 1AZ
Call Us
+44 (0)7563370324