David Robilliard: Welcome to the Friendly Isle

Guernsey Museums & Galleries in association with Guernsey Arts present David Robilliard: Welcome to the Friendly Isle, a new temporary exhibition at Guernsey Museum at Candie.

Local-born David Robilliard has had exhibitions across the globe and today his artwork is part of both national and international gallery collections including the Tate Modern. Yet despite this success many islanders have never heard of him.

Described by his mother as a “caged bird” in Guernsey, David moved to London in 1975 to pursue a career in poetry which soon flourished into an exploration of art, sexuality and life. His first published book of poetry and first exhibition of his artwork both happened in 1984 which subsequently saw David’s career thrive. In 1988 during the height of the UK’s AIDS epidemic David contracted HIV and died later the same year, tragically cutting short both his life and his creative journey.

In 2023 the documentary Life is Excellent, presented by actor Russel Tovey, was released and highlighted David’s semi-obscure local status and the absence of any of his artwork in the island’s museum art collection. Since then, Guernsey Museums & Galleries have worked hard behind the scenes to rectify this.

In 2024 Guernsey Museums & Galleries were able to add eight pieces of David’s artwork to their permanent collection and are delighted to be able to celebrate David’s local and international significance as a poet and contemporary artist. The Greenhouse Gallery, kindly curated by Guernsey Arts, will feature the newly acquired artworks whilst the museum foyer will provide a retrospective of David’s life and career as well as his local legacy.