Vaughan Grylls is a British artist, photographer, author, and academic administrator. He is known for conceptual and photographic works produced from the late 1960s onwards, especially panoramic photo-collages on historic and contemporary political and social subjects.

Grylls was the director of Kent Institute of Art & Design before co-founding the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone & Rochester. He has work in various public collections, including the National Library of Wales"Washington DC [graphic] / Vaughan Grylls." National Library of Wales. Retrieved 25 April 2018. and University College London.

Initially trained as a sculptor, Grylls began creating photo collages in 1977. Some of his notable panoramic works include the Wailing Wall, Jerusalem (1979), Site of the Assassination of JFK (1980), and Britain Through the Looking Glass (1984).

Additionally, Grylls has authored seven books in the Then and Now series: Oxford Then and Now (2009), Cambridge Then and Now (2011), Singapore Then and Now (2016), Hong Kong Then and Now (2016), Shanghai Then and Now (2017), The Old West Then and Now (2019), London Then and Now (2020), and was photographer for Hollywood Then and Now (2013).

Early life and education Vaughan Grylls was born 10 December 1943 in Newark-on-Trent. From 1963 onwards, Grylls attended art schools at Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Slade School of Fine Art."Vaughan Grylls." University of Wolverhampton. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

Career In the late 1960s, while attending the Slade School of Fine Art, Grylls gave guided tours of Cambridge to overseas visitors, and after graduating, his first teaching position was at the University of Reading, followed by Homerton College, Cambridge where he taught sculpture.

Pun-sculptures At Goldsmiths, University of London in 1968, Grylls produced an exhibition of his first photographically based pun-sculptures, each made from cardboard and called collectively 'Ludwig Wittgenstein's Palace of Pun.' He took this with him to the Slade School of Fine Art and continued to make more pun-sculptures. His work was noticed at his final show at the Slade in 1970 by Jasia Reichardt, art critic and assistant director of the ICA. His first London exhibition was held at the ICA in October 1970 as one room in an exhibition entitled 'Ten Sitting Rooms.'Reichardt, Jasia. "Ten Sitting Rooms". Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, October 1970

Grylls' pun-sculpture work was also shown at an alternative exhibition space called The Gallery. The Gallery was opened in Lisson St, London in 1972 by fellow Slade graduate Nicholas Wegner. Wegner invited Grylls to show at The Gallery. The work Grylls exhibited in 1973 entitled 'An Indo-Chinese Punsculpture' was a large photo-mural commenting on the signing of the so-called Paris Peace Treaty. Wegner and Grylls then collaborated in an artistic partnership, inspired in part by Andy Warhol, from 1973 to 1975. Wegner closed The Gallery in 1978.

Photography From 1977, Grylls' style developed into works largely inspired by international news and political events.McManus, Irene. "Visions from the Outer Edge." The Guardian, 4 August 1983.Spurling, John. "Arts." The New Statesman, 17 February 1984.Holman, Martin. "Vaughan Grylls at Arnolfini, Nicholas Volley at Ian Birksted." Art Scribe, no. 40, April 1983. He used photographic montage techniques to create a collection of images pinned together to produce one large image. In 1977, he travelled to Istanbul and used a telephoto lens to produce his first panoramic photo-collage, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. It was exhibited in 1978 at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.

His next photo-collage exhibition was in 1979 called The Wailing (Western) Wall, Jerusalem and in Flanders Fields. Grylls said that his overtly political art tried, in the case of The Wailing (Western) Wall, Jerusalem, to "examine a cultural and religious icon that has had a far-reaching influence on political events today."

In 1980, Grylls created panoramic collages of the sites where President John F. Kennedy on Elm Street and Lord Mountbatten in Donegal Bay were murdered. William Feaver of The Observer referred to Grylls' work as "mixed-media surveys, combining epic scale and humdrum particulars."

In 1984, Grylls' 'Britain Through the Looking Glass', a twenty-eight by eight-foot work of colour Xerox photographs that were taken at the British Museum in London in the "Egyptian Mummy room" was exhibited at the Atlantis Gallery in London. Also, in the same exhibition, were two equally large panoramas, one based on the Greenwich Meridian, the other on Wembley Stadium.

Education In 1984, Grylls was appointed professor of photography and video at Williams College, Massachusetts. In 1989, Grylls returned to England to become Head of Art & Design at Wolverhampton PolytechnicOgden, John, 'Weekend Star', "Express and Star", Wolverhampton, 7 October 1989 (later known as the University of Wolverhampton). In 1996, he became director of the Kent Institute of Art & Design.Editorial, "The Times Higher Education Supplement". London, 5 July 1996

In 2003, Grylls proposed creating a new university of more than 6,000 students studying art, design, and architecture by merging the Kent Institute with the Surrey Institute of Art & Design to prevent these free-standing art colleges becoming absorbed into their local universities.Utley, Alison. "The Times Higher Education Supplement", London, 2 November 2000 The merged institution was called the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone & Rochester (since 2009 the University for the Creative Arts).Hodges, Lucy. "The Independent" London. 6 May 2004Tysome, Tony. "The Times Higher Education Supplement". London, 7 May 2005 Grylls as founding Chief Executive of the merged institution'First ever students enroll', UCA News Archive 2 September 2005. www.ucreative.ac.uk resigned soon afterwards, announcing that he intended to return full-time to his own work."Professor going back to the drawing board." Kentish Gazette, 26 October 2005.

2020s Just America, exhibited at the Batsford Gallery, London from April 3–28, 2024, brought together works on the subject of the United States made by Grylls between 1973 and 2024. It included Fentanyl Drive (2024), a 20-foot panoramic photo collage on drug addiction in Philadelphia.Exhibition catalogue (2024). ISBN 9789694492278. Essay by John Carlin.

Strongmen, exhibited at the Batsford Gallery, London from June 13–22, 2025, brought together works on the subject of authoritarian rule made by Grylls from 1973 to 2025. It included Second Coming (2025), a 26-foot panoramic photo collage depicting the penultimate Donald Trump rally at Warren, Michigan before the 2024 United States presidential election.Exhibition catalogue (2025). ISBN 9781837330492. Essay by Tally De Orellana.

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns, Grylls produced a daily video series of short online performances via social media. The videos included piano playing, humour, and Grylls' personal anecdotes. The broadcasts became known as Vaughan's Socks, a reference to the brightly coloured socks that he wore during the performances.Vaughan Grylls YouTube channel archive (Vaughan's Socks).

Publications From 2023 onwards, Grylls, a long-time classic car enthusiast, published a series of illustrated motoring books for Batsford Books. The books cover the history and design of various European car manufacturers.

The Spirit of Saab – 50 Reasons Why We Love Them (2023). . The Spirit of BMW – 50 Reasons Why We Love Them (2023). . The Spirit of VW – 50 Reasons Why We Love Them (2024). . The Spirit of Volvo – 50 Reasons Why We Love Them (2025). . The Spirit of Mercedes – 50 Reasons Why We Love Them (2026). . In 2018, Bitter Lemon Press published Grylls' autobiographical book, Have You Come Far? A Life in Interviews.

Notes

Further reading Vaughan Grylls 'A Case in Point', The Sunday Times London 28 March 1971 This is not an advertisement', Studio International London, Vol 182 no 935 July/August 1971 Vaughan Grylls, 'Benefitting from a Holiday', The Sunday Times London 29 August 1971 John A Walker, 'Contemporary Art, Flash Art Milan, nos 48/49 October/November 1974 'Time, Words and the Camera' Exhibition catalogue edited by Jasia Reichardt and published by Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum Graz, Austria 1976 Vaughan Grylls, 'Artists Thoughts on the 70's in Words and Pictures'. Edited by Jasia Reichardt. Studio International, London, vol 195 no 991, 1981 Brandon Taylor, Introductory essay to 'The Panoramic Image'. Exhibition catalogue published by John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton 1981 'Vaughan Grylls. Through the Looking Glass'. Exhibition catalogue with notes by the artist and an introductory essay by John Carlin. Published by the University of Wisconsin, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin, November 1985 'Vaughan Grylls. Wolverhampton Return'. Exhibition catalogue with notes by the artist and an introductory essay by Christopher Bailey. Published by Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Wolverhampton Polytechnic, September 1989 'Vaughan Grylls. 'White Man's Tales'. Exhibition catalogue with notes by the artist and an introductory essay by Professor Ann H Murray. Published by Wheaton College, Massachusetts, November 1994 Sacha Craddock. Essay accompanying 'Mother', Sadlers Wells Theatre, London, February 2009 James Putnam. Introductory essay to 'Then and Now'. Exhibition catalogue published by the Piper Gallery, 2012 Megan Piper. Introductory essay to 'Vaughan Grylls' Retrospective exhibition catalogue published by GX Gallery, 2014. Vaughan Grylls, Just America: Exhibition catalogue (2024). . Essay by John Carlin. Vaughan Grylls, Strongmen: Exhibition catalogue (2025). . Essay by Tally De Orellana.

External links Vaughan Grylls