Saint Nazaire Special Ops, Archival Pigment Print, Limited Edition, 2019

Saint Nazaire Special Ops ' 2013 by Katherine Russell Limited edition Archival pigment print - numbered and signed on front by the artist. edition of 15 only 40 w x 30 h cm About the St Nazaire Raid The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as Tirpitz, sister ship of Bismarck, to return to home waters by running the gauntlet of the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy and other British forces, via the English Channel or the GIUK gap. The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and was rammed into the Normandie dock gates. The ship had been packed with delayed-action explosives, well-hidden within a steel and concrete case, that detonated later that day, putting the dock out of service for the remainder of the war and up to five years afterwards. A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures. German gunfire sank, set ablaze or immobilised virtually all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England. The commandos fought their way through the town to escape overland but many surrendered when they ran out of ammunition or were surrounded by the Wehrmacht defending Saint-Nazaire. Of the 611 men who undertook the raid, 228 returned to Britain, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. German casualties included over 360 dead, some of whom were killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded. To recognise their bravery, 89 members of the raiding party were awarded decorations, including five Victoria Crosses. After the war, St Nazaire was one of 38 battle honours awarded to the Commandos. The operation has been called The Greatest Raid of All within British military circles. Katherine Russel's grandfather, Stuart 'Chanty' Chant Sempill - detonated the explosives. About the artist : Katherine Russell is a London based Painter. Her current body of work seeks to deconstruct our daily encounter with media images. From war zones to deserts, from solitary figures to candle-lit night markets, her choice of source material is indiscriminate of specific content, yet resonant with the unfamiliar and unsettling nature of our media-driven age. Education: 2014-15 MA Fine Art Painting; City and Guilds London Art School 99-02: BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree; University of Northumbria at Newcastle 98-99: BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies in Art and Design; Wimbledon School of Art and Design Selected Exhibitions: 2019 Made In Britain 82 Painters of the 21st Century, The National Museum Gdańsk, Poland, 14 March - 2 June Contemporary British Painting An Exhibition of 34 Painters, The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral, Norwich, 25 April - 16 May Disposition Summer Salon 1, Bermondsey Project Space, London, March 2018 Contemporary Masters From Britain, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts Museum, China 2017 Contemporary Masters From Britain, Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum, Nanjing, China Anything Goes Contemporary British Painting, Art Bermondsey Project Space, London July - August Contemporary Masters From Britain, Yantai Art Museum, China Contemporary Masters From Britain, Jiangsu Museum of Arts and Crafts (Artall), Nanjing, China 'Why Not Art' Launch Event, The Clock, Marylebone, London, March 2017 2016 30x30x34, Contemporary British Painting, The Crypt, St Marylebone church, November 2016- January 2017 Highly Commended Artist; The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2016, Showcase Exhibition July – December 2016 Contemporary British Painting Summer Exhibition, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight, July – October 2016 Shortlisted Artists; The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2016, London, May- June Rising Stars 2016, Lloyds Register, 71 Fenchurch Street, London, Feb- March 2015 Contemporary British Painting, The Crypt, St Marylebone Church, London, Nov- Jan 2016 Recent Graduates 2015, Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London, October MA Show, City & Guilds London Art School, September Summer Salon, Lubomirov/ Angus Hughes Gallery, August. Documentary Realism: Painting in the Digital Age, St Marylebone Crypt, London, March 16/15, Group Exhibition, The Muse, Portobello road, London, February Priseman Seabrook Collection of 21st Century Painting, Huddersfield Art Gallery, November- March @ Paint Britain, Ipswich Museum, November 2014 - March 15 2014 'The Girl Who Wasn't There.' Solo Show, A&D Gallery, 51 Chiltern Street Marylebone, London, June 'Home,' The Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough, Halifax, June - September 2013 Group Show, Contemporary British Painting, The Crypt, St Marylebone church, London, December-January 'Passing Through.' Solo show, Contemporary British Painting, The Crypt, St Marylebone Church, London, September Press/Print Literature: Made In Britain 82 Painters of the 21st Century, Catalogue Contemporary Masters from Britain, China Touring Show, Catalogue MA Show, City & Guilds London Art School, Catalogue Documentary Realism: Painting in the Digital Age Accompanying Catalogue & Essay Collection, 2015 @PaintBritain, Ipswich Art Gallery, Artlyst review, 2015 Priseman Seabrook Collection of 21st Century Painting Catalogue & Yorkshire Art Press Article, 2015 The Girl Who Wasn’t There, Marylebone Magazine, 2014 Awards: Shortlisted for the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2016 Selected for RBA Rising Stars 2016 Selected for Recent Graduates 2015 Collections: Work held in The Priseman Seabrook Collection of 21st Century Painting and in private collections in the U.K, France, Spain, America and Australia. minimalist minimalism abstract abstraction abstract art fine art contemporary art British new art new talent contemplation remembrance loss concept conceptual