A rental dwelling clandestinely transformed by the idiosyncratic artist who resided there for three decades has been formally safeguarded by the British government five years following his demise.
Shortly after Ron Gittins passed away in September 2019 at the age of 79 his family visited the apartment where he had lived since the mid-1980s in Birkenhead just outside Liverpool in northwest England.
What they discovered inside left them completely amazed. Gittins had adorned nearly every accessible surface in his abode and crafted numerous murals portraying historical scenes. Among his creations were paintings depicting Ancient Egypt and Georgian England along with fireplaces resembling a roaring lion’s head and a colossal minotaur head and even a Roman bread oven.
The revelation was particularly astonishing as Gittins who had minimal formal artistic training mostly discouraged visitors from coming to his home which was an apartment on the first floor of a Victorian duplex consisting of three main rooms a hallway kitchen and bathroom.
Following his demise it became evident why according to his niece Jan Williams. ‘The house was an absolute mess and you couldn’t even enter through the door’ she shared with BUST NEWS during a telephone conversation.
Williams described her uncle as ‘flamboyant’ and ‘extremely eccentric’ often spotted around town in costume scavenging for items that he would load into a shopping cart such as bags of cement.
‘This is one of the reasons why the family didn’t see much of him’ Williams remarked noting that she last saw him the year before his passing.
‘His behavior could be quite challenging but we still loved him and held him in high regard.’MEvery corner of the apartment was stacked with bags boxes books art supplies food packaging and numerous handwritten notes some of which were in code. Shortly thereafter Williams and her partner Chris Teasdale who are both artists themselves and operate a mobile exhibition space launched a campaign to preserve ‘Ron’s Place’ with the backing of friends relatives artists and others in the realm of culture and heritage.
Together they established the Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust (WACCLT) which initiated a crowdfunding campaign via the website Ron’s Place applied for listed status and eventually acquired the building last year. Now the property has been designated as ‘Grade II’ listed by Britain’s Department for Culture Media and Sport upon the recommendation of the national heritage body Historic England.
A spokesperson for Historic England elaborated on the significance of the listing in an email to BUST NEWS stating: ‘Incorporating Ron’s Place on the National Heritage List for England enables us to highlight and celebrate what is remarkable about this extraordinary place and helps us ensure that any future alterations to it do not compromise its significance.’
‘Ron would be absolutely thrilled’ Williams expressed regarding her late uncle. ‘He was a sort of performance artist and the apartment he fashioned was like his stage set and his own private realm. ‘He did grapple with some mental health issues and went through periods of instability. I believe it was his artwork and creativity that kept him going.’
The property is presently undergoing efforts to ‘stabilize and conserve’ the artwork for a ‘micro-museum’ while the trust is also aiming to convert the other apartments in the building to establish a ‘comprehensive house of art and creativity’ according to Williams.
The space will subsequently be available for other artists to utilize while additional plans may involve developing the garden and cellar. ‘It’s quite poignant because when I was sorting through his belongings after he passed away I found a postcard addressed to me saying ‘I would really love to show you what I’ve been creating’ but the address was incorrect and I never received it. It’s almost as if I’m making up for it now’ she remarked.
Ron’s Place is the inaugural instance of Outsider Art to be granted protected status in England as per Historic England. An internationally recognized creative phenomenon Outsider Art is delineated by Tate as ‘art that possesses a naïve quality often produced by individuals who have not received formal artistic training or operated within the conventional frameworks of art production.’ It is crafted without a specific audience in mind usually by and for the artist themselves.
In a press release Historic England asserted: ‘The listing acknowledges Ron’s creation as an exemplar of large-scale Outsider Art in England a creative phenomenon by artists driven by their personal visions and often working in a compulsive manner usually devoid of formal training and outside the influence of the mainstream art world.’
Among the myriad admirers of Gittins’ creations is Jarvis Cocker lead singer of the indie band Pulp and a supporter of the campaign to safeguard the property. Reacting to the news in a statement issued by Historic England Cocker who also serves as a patron of Ron’s Place remarked: ‘A select few individuals on this planet have known for some time that Ron’s Place is a truly Special Place—but now it is official: Ron’s Place has been granted listed status!
‘The work of one exceptional gentleman in the north of England has been acknowledged nationally. Even globally. Hallelujah!!’ Williams is proud of her uncle’s accomplishments and optimistic about the impact he will have on future generations.
‘He encouraged me to view being creative and unconventional as completely ordinary and I’m grateful for that’ she expressed. ‘He never really held down a steady job and seldom had a reliable income for long but he possessed an abundance of imagination and creativity. We aim to share that with others and encourage them to be creative and resourceful and recognize the potential in themselves and others.’
