Gillian Ayres Stratie II 1997 oil on canvas Government Art Collection, London Gillian Ayres Untitled 1993 acrylic on paper Jerwood Collection, London Gillian Ayres Salix 1990-91 oil on canvas Royal Academy of Arts, London Gillian Ayres Helios 1990 oil on canvas Leeds Art Gallery, Yorkshire Gillian Ayres Phaëthon 1990 oil on canvas Tate Gallery Gillian Ayres Midsummer Night 1990 oil on panels Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, West Midlands "Many of Gillian Ayres' paintings took titles from Greek myths and from the world of opera, and it was obvious that she looked to such sources for strength, drama and passion, qualities she admired and wished to convey in her paintings. She said of Titian and Rubens, two painters she revered, that they use the medium of paint in the fullest possible way, displaying 'a complete combination of heart and mind . . .' This was something Ayres strove to emulate." – from curator's notes at the British Council Collection "Gillian Ayres smoked 60 cigarettes a day, worked through the night if she felt like it, gave money to friends, neglected the washing up, collected broken pieces of pretty china and loved Elizabethan poetry. Her favourite painter was Rubens, whose sumptuous female models she somewhat resembled. Not seeing the point of putting cat food on a plate, she simply emptied the cans on to the kitchen floor. She never locked her car. Ayres ignored all advice, including medical advice. About government, current affairs and rational discussion she remained headily aloof." – Tim Hilton, from his obituary of the artist in The Guardian Gillian Ayres Spica 1989-90 oil on canvas Southbank Centre, London Gillian Ayres Aeolus 1987 oil on canvas Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool Gillian Ayres Florestan 1986 oil on canvas Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, Wiltshire Gillian Ayres Calypso 1985 oil on canvas National Museum Cardiff (Wales) Gillian Ayres Merlin 1983 oil on canvas John Creasey Museum, Salisbury, Wiltshire Gillian Ayres Antony and Cleopatra 1982 oil on canvas Tate Gallery Gillian Ayres Ah Mine Heart 1981 oil on panel British Council Collection, London Gillian Ayres Orlando Furioso 1977-79 oil on canvas Southbank Centre, London Gillian Ayres Belona 1976-78 oil and acrylic on canvas Southbank Centre, London