The Burton at Bideford presents ‘A Photographic Friendship: James Ravilious and Chris Chapman’, an exhibition celebrating the remarkable artistic partnership and shared vision of two of Devon's most significant documentary photographers.
Presented as part of The Burton's 75th anniversary programme, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ reflects the museum's enduring commitment to celebrating the art, history and communities of North Devon. Developed from the acclaimed publication of the same name, the exhibition brings together a selection of works that reveal how both men documented the people, landscapes, traditions and everyday life of rural Devon over the past fifty years.
Through 15 carefully curated photographic pairings selected by Chris Chapman, the exhibition sheds new light on the creative dialogue between the two photographers, revealing the shared themes, perspectives and quiet observations that unite their work. The images offer a rich portrait of rural life, moving beyond picturesque landscapes to capture the realities of agriculture across the changing seasons. Intimate domestic moments sit alongside scenes of working farms, village shows, weddings and local traditions, while striking portraits celebrate the individuality and character of the people who shaped these communities.
Chris Chapman (born 1952) has spent more than five decades documenting the landscapes and communities of Dartmoor and the South West. After studying at Torquay School of Art and Newport College of Art under Magnum photographer David Hurn, he settled in Throwleigh in 1976, where he continues to live and work. His photographs are held in major public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council Collection and the International Center of Photography in New York.
James Ravilious (1939–1999) moved to Devon in 1972 and became one of Britain's most celebrated documentary photographers through his evocative record of rural life in North Devon. In 2021, The Burton acquired 135 prints from ‘An English Eye’, the landmark retrospective of his work, establishing an important collection that continues to inspire new research and interpretation.
Through images that are both intimate and timeless, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ explores the unique dialogue between two friends whose work was collaborative rather than competitive, united by a deep respect for their subjects and an extraordinary ability to find beauty in the ordinary. Together, their photographs create a powerful visual archive of rural Devon, preserving its people, traditions and changing landscapes with honesty, empathy and quiet affection.
As The Burton celebrates 75 years of collecting, preserving and sharing the stories of North Devon, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ demonstrates the enduring power of photography to connect people with place, inviting audiences to discover familiar landscapes through fresh eyes while reflecting on the communities and heritage that continue to shape the region today.
Thatching the Lower Merripit Roundhouse, Dartmoor. Photo ©️Chris Chapman ( All Rights Reserved)
‘A Photographic Friendship: James Ravilious and Chris Chapman’ runs from 1st August – 4th October 2026 at The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ. Free entry. For more details see www.theburton.org or get in touch at info@theburton.org.
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Artist biographies
James Ravilious (1939-1999) was the son of Eric Ravilious (a war artist, wood engraver and designer) and Tirzah Goodward (an artist and wood engraver).
Training as a painter, James worked as an art teacher in London before moving down to Devon in 1972 where he took up photography professionally. Beaford Arts commissioned him to take images for a project called Beaford Archive, set up to capture the fast disappearing traditional landscapes and practices of rural life in Devon. During the lifetime of the project James took more than 80,000 black and white images.
‘An English Eye: The Photographs of James Ravilious’ is a retrospective exhibition curated by James himself alongside the photographer and writer Peter Hamilton (1996-97). It showcases his natural ability to perfectly capture the inner narrative of his subjects, and chronicles both the people and the landscape of rural Devon from the 1970s to the late 1990s. Working primarily in black and white, James’ work was influenced by English landscape art and photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Edwin Smith. He developed a distinctive technique using older, uncoated lenses on his Leica rangefinder camera. A compensatory development process gave a subtle and 'silvery' quality to his photographs.
Chris Chapman (born 1952, Wigan, Lancashire) is an acclaimed photographer whose work has documented the landscapes, people and culture of Dartmoor and the South West of England for over five decades. After studying at Torquay School of Art and Newport College of Art, he first photographed Dartmoor in 1972 and settled in the village of Throwleigh in West Devon in 1976, where he continues to live and work. His photographs are held in major public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Arts Council England and the International Center of Photography, New York; and have been published under various titles including The Right Side of the Hedge (David & Charles), Dartmoor: The Threatened Wilderness (Channel 4) and Wild Goose and Riddon. The Dartmoor Photographs of Chris Chapman (Devon Books, 2000).
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