Picketed Aircraft by Graham Sutherland, gouache on paper

Better known for his grotesque and surreal visions of bomb damage, Graham Sutherland had also made gouache paintings of bomber aircraft early in the Second World War. Three were purchased by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee (WAAC).

In this painting of a camouflaged Hampden bomber, Sutherland’s aircraft blends with nature, like a living entity. Ambiguous forms exemplified his ‘imaginative vision of the war’ for which he was praised by the WAAC. 'Picketed Aircraft’ and ‘Camouflaged Bombers’ were exhibited as a pair in New York at the Museum of Modern Art’s ambitious ‘Britain at War’ exhibition, from May 1941. From the Air Ministry allocation of works from the War Artists' Advisory Committee, 1947. Original accession number LD373. On loan from the RAF Air Historical Branch (MOD). Copyright: Crown (expired) / RAF Museum.