Twenty-five years ago Graham Sutherland was one of the most-praised artists in Britain. “At that point Sutherland was undeniably top of the heap. So why is the centenary of his birth, which falls this year, being celebrated in such a niggardly fashion? How did this disastrous decline come about? The first answer is that he died at the wrong time. At his death in 1982, at the age of 79, preparations were well advanced for a major retrospective at the Tate. It became his memorial show and was given surprisingly short shrift by most critics. You could see why. It was undeniable that Sutherland had been rather resting on his laurels in his final years…”