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Louis Wain

Wandle Gallery, Wandsworth Museum  

Ran until 31 October 2004    

Star Rating 3/5

This exhibition brought together 45 of Louis Wain's paintings along with postcards and books he illustrated, writes Mark Drinkwater. Wain, famous for his paintings of cats in the early 20th century, became less popular after the first world war and his mental health deteriorated at the same time. 

The selection focused on his later work when he was at various psychiatric hospitals. As well as his brightly coloured cats, Wain's lesser known work, including birds and rural scenes, were striking.  

The exhibition contains eight paintings of cats that get progressively more vivid. For nearly 50 years after his death it was believed that these paintings got increasingly bizarre as Wain's mental health deteriorated, and this was used as evidence in theories on schizophrenia.  

However, as the exhibition reveals, the assumed chronology of these paintings was incorrect, thereby discrediting these theories.  

Mark Drinkwater is a community worker in Southwark  

• A selection of Louis Wain paintings will be on show from mid-November at the Bethlem Museum, Beckenham, London.