Unseen artwork by founding Beatles member to go on public display

Stuart Sutcliffe, who died at the tragic age of 21, joined The Beatles after befriending John Lennon at school

Four previously unseen artworks by Stuart Sutcliffe, the original bassist for The Beatles, are set to go on public display for the first time. The pieces, created by one of the band’s founding members, will be unveiled at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Thursday.

Sutcliffe joined the iconic group after meeting John Lennon at art school in Liverpool, later travelling to Hamburg, Germany, to perform with them. He ultimately departed the band in 1961 to dedicate himself to his art career, but tragically died the following year at the age of 21.

The four works have been loaned to the museum by Hereward Harrison, a close friend of Sutcliffe’s late sister, Pauline. Mr Harrison, 82, explained that Ms Sutcliffe, who passed away in 2019, had given him the pieces as gifts over their 50-year friendship, and he had kept them framed on his wall.

His decision to make them publicly accessible came after a conversation at a party, where someone suggested he contact the museum. Mr Harrison said: "Pauline would be delighted. She would be so pleased I was taking them back to Liverpool."

Artwork from the late Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe goes on display at the Beatles Museum in Liverpool, Merseyside (PA)

The collection includes a sketch of people on a bridge, dating from Sutcliffe’s time as a student at the Liverpool College of Art, alongside three abstract pieces created during his period of work and study in Hamburg. Mr Harrison’s personal favourite is a collage, which incorporates fragments of a German newspaper.

Reflecting on Sutcliffe’s legacy, Mr Harrison noted: "Most people are interested in the Beatles connection and I like The Beatles but there are two stories here, that he happened to be a Beatle but also about him as an artist. He is famous because he was a Beatle but his real talent was art."

Mr Harrison met Ms Sutcliffe while they were both social workers in Brixton, London, in the 1960s, quickly becoming firm friends. "We had such fun," he recalled. She would talk about her brother. He was a very talented young man."

Artwork from the late Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe (PA)

He added that Ms Sutcliffe, who authored a book about her brother and organised exhibitions of his art, had "kept her brother’s memory alive".

These items represent the latest additions to the Mathew Street museum, which is owned by Roag Best, brother of The Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best.