A small London gallery, Malarkey, is exhibiting eight paintings by Welsh-born artist Sylvia Sleigh (1916–2010), including her monumental 1963 work *The Bridge*, which is now for sale. The show, curated by Daniel Malarkey, features Sleigh's earliest-known self-portrait and her first commission, alongside other nudes that challenge traditional objectification by portraying both sexes with dignity. Sleigh, who studied at Brighton School of Art and moved to New York with her second husband, critic Lawrence Alloway, reimagined classical poses like Giorgione's *Sleeping Venus* in modern settings, notably including a daring flash of pubic hair in *The Bridge*.
This exhibition matters because it reclaims Sleigh's radical, humanist approach to the nude at a time when her work is gaining renewed attention. With a monograph and catalogue raisonné underway by scholar Andrew Hottle, the show highlights Sleigh's overlooked role in feminist art history—painting nude men and women alike to subvert the male gaze. The sale of *The Bridge*, donated to a New York theatre company after her death, also underscores the growing market interest in her oeuvre.