YHAP, Laetitia

1941 - ?

Laetitia Karoline Yhap was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire on 1 May 1941, daughter of Dr Leslie Neville Yhap (1915-1987), a medical practitioner, and his wife Liesel Karoline née Kogler (18 February 1915-1996) who married at Kensington, London in 1937 and in 1939 they were living at 18 Westgate Terrace, Kensington. Laetitia was educated at Fulham County Grammar school and in 1952 was presented by Harold Workman (1897-1975) with a big box of paints for her work in a children's painting competition for the international wool Secretariat. She studied life drawing and ceramics at Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts 1958-1962 and then won a Leverhulme Research Award Scholarship which she spent travelling in Italy 1962-1963, studying Renaissance Art. On her return she went to live in Pakefield, Suffolk with Jeffery Camp (1923-2020), who she had first met around 1960 through Euan Uglow (1932-2000), and in 1963 they married at Lowestoft, Suffolk. Laetitia then studied at the Slade School of Fine Art UCL to complete her postgraduate studies 1963-1965 during which time she had her first solo show, at Norwich School of Art in 1964, and in 1967 had the first of three solo shows at the Piccadilly Gallery, Cork Street, London. In 1967, after the death of Jeffery's parents, they left Suffolk and purchased houses in Clapham and another in Hastings. Jeffery Camp continued teaching at the Slade but Laetitia, disenchanted by London life and needing to concentrate on her work which took a radical change when, around 1974, she decided to focus once more on the human figure when Jeffery was more interested in making London an integral part of his subject matter. They separated amicably but did not divorce until 2001. Michael Rycroft (born 1945), after having spent a few years fishing in Australia, arrived in Hastings and purchased a boat and a winch house and in 1982 became Laetitia's partner and in 1984 she gave birth to her son. In 1979 she had her first exhibition of fishing paintings at the Serpentine Gallery in London, and she also went off to sea to fully experience the daily life of fishermen. Laetitia exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy for over 30 years from 1970 and a major touring exhibition 'The Business of the Beach' 1988-1989 was organised by the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which took the paintings as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed before returning to Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. Laetitia Yhap's work has been exhibited widely in solo & mixed exhibitions and is held in many private & public collections, including the Tate Gallery, British Council, Government Art Collection, Arts Council of England and in 2021 she celebrates with an exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery 'My Vital Life, Laetitia Yhap at 80'. Recently the British Library has recorded her telling her life story for their archive 'National Life Stories'.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 78 Forthbridge Road, London SW 11
1970 979 Promenade Christmas
         980 Mallow
1974 507 From Wave to Clifftop
         509 Skull, Nettles and Apple Trees
         909 Flask, Skulll and Cliff
1975 873 Workmen and Hy-mac at Claphm
         1266 Building the School at Clapham
1976 734 Workmen: Early Morning Smoke
         757 Buddleia, Skull, Paintbrush
         769 Demolition, Smoke and
from 12 The Croft, Hastings, Sussex
1977 953 Peter and Tim and other Fishermen on Hastings Beach
         957 Fishermen gutting Soles on Hastings Beach
1978 1006 A Boy and a Man Packing Nets, Hastings
         1008 Two Boys scratching out Nets, Michael Watching, Hastings
1979 663 Hot Summer
         668 Michael putting up the Mizzen on his new Boat, Hastings 1977-79
1980 760 Michael and Steve on the knees gutting Cod
         761 Bodle on his knees gutting Cod
1981 953 Paul fitting up a Net with his father Will
         1055 Podge picking out the Skeleton
1982 1031 Bodle with Omo aboard RX45
         1037 Bodle working with Omo and Bill in Winter
         1102 Richard Helping his family on the Beach in Summer
1983 710 Paul and Ken gutting Dogfish
         718 Mark painting up the Boat
1984 355 Balling Up Old Net – charcoal
         858 Will sitting with his back to the Sea
1985 729 Gill Asleep – charcoal
         821 Keeping Company = Wash & crayon
         1241 Michael balling up old net
1986 1593 Keeping Company
1987 766 The Business of the Beach
1988 505 Weighing Up Cuttlefish
1989 88 Feeding the Fire
1990 1043 Shore Line
1991 1116 Under the Sun 1989-91 - diptych
1992 1589 The Guitarist 1991
1993 554 Company
         1581 To Life my Friends
1994 447 Keeping Cool – oil
         1031 Coiling Rope – oil
1995 642 An Ending 1993/95 – oil
1996 1060 After the Lunch – oil
1997 1088 The Challenge (Girls) – oil
         1090 The Challenge (Boys) – oil

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Works by This Artist