Rediscovering John Martin: Collecting the apocalypse in post-war Britain

The imposing and melodramatic landscapes painted by John Martin (1789-1854) were widely celebrated in the early nineteenth century. However, mid-Victorian aesthetic shifts sent them into oblivion shortly after the artist's death. By the 1920s they had completely lost their market value, and many lay rolled up in warehouses. This article investigates the rediscovery of Martin's work in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Uncovering archival documents, primary sources and historical press reviews, it brings to light the joint efforts of connoisseurs, dealers and gallery directors in 1940s-1950s Britain in promoting, exhibiting and collecting Martin's work. It also links those magnificent and catastrophic scenes with the post-war group of figurative artists dubbed neo-Romantics, documenting their attempts to get Martin's work into the Tate collection. Ultimately, the article pays tribute to the collective enterprise of rescuing Martin's masterpieces from 'the waters of oblivion', allowing them to survive till the present day.