Portrait of John Bratby

Jean Cooke is more commonly known as the wife of the celebrated ‘Kitchen Sink’ realist, John Bratby; the subject of this portrait. The Barbican readdressed Cooke’s lack of recognition compared with her husband’s success in the 2021 exhibition, Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-1965. ‘The two artists met and married in 1953, marking the beginning of a turbulent relationship that spanned more than twenty years. Their partnership saw the development of their considerable artistic talents, and they played an important role in each other’s practice, frequently as sitters in portraits … Cooke described being ‘terrified’ of her husband. Allowing her to paint for only three hours each day, Bratby was jealous of Cooke’s talent – often destroying or painting over her works’ (exhibition catalogue, Postwar Modern: New Art in Britain 1945-1965, London, Barbican Art Gallery, 2021, p. 117). This recent revaluation of her work invites us to question the patriarchal power dynamic that left Cooke without the platform she deserved.