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Paragon Gallery The Paragon Gallery specialises in original art and sculpture, from emerging and established artists.

Welcoming and approachable, the team is dedicated to helping collectors and first-time buyers alike discover unique and exceptional art.

Literary beast of the week 🐾Today’s featured character from PJ Crook’s exhibition, Literary Lions & Other Beasts is our ...
16/10/2026

Literary beast of the week 🐾

Today’s featured character from PJ Crook’s exhibition, Literary Lions & Other Beasts is our Shakespearean bear…

“Shakespeare’s famous stage direction “exit, pursued by a bear…” has entered the common vernacular and is perhaps the most popular and iconic stage direction ever quoted which is why I have also painted an Encore”. PJ Crook MBE RWA FRSA

For all art and literature lovers, this show is a must see, and a rare opportunity experience a new collection by one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary painters, this time through the enduring relationship between writers and animals.

Exhibition on until Saturday 7th November. We hope you can join us.

13/10/2026

A few photos from the end of a very special evening with PJ Crook following the opening of Literary Lions & Other Beasts last Friday 🦁

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported, a very special thank you to PJ for creating one of the finest shows we’ve ever had, and last but not least, to the team for all their hard work prepping the show and looking after everyone on the night 🙏

The show continues until Saturday 7th November, we hope you can visit, and if you can’t, you can view the collection on our website, link in bio 👀

Don’t miss “PJ Crook in conversation with David Morgan” (pictured here) at St Stephen’s church on 20th October. You can book tickets via their website or from the QR code on the poster in the gallery.

09/10/2026

The wait is over! Welcome to Literary Lions and Other Beasts 🦁

Opening tonight from 5.30 - 8pm
Join us for fizz and canapés!

Rich in narrative, character and curiosity, this exhibition promises an enchanting journey through the worlds of art, literature and the animal kingdom. Following on from Byron’s Bear and Menagerie in 2024, Crook once again draws inspiration from the literary world; animals emerge as both companions and characters, occupying a space between historical reality and literary invention.

PJ Crook is an artist of international repute, having dealers in London, Paris, Canada and New York and her renown stretches as far as the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art in Japan, and more locally at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum and at the Museum of Gloucester.

Today’s literary beast 🐾…is none other than the tiger who came to tea…“Judith Kerr wrote the moving Hi**er Stole Pink Ra...
07/10/2026

Today’s literary beast 🐾

…is none other than the tiger who came to tea…

“Judith Kerr wrote the moving Hi**er Stole Pink Rabbit but later, the most wonderful The Tiger Who Came to Tea, who not only drunk from the spout of the teapot but also emptied all the taps with a voracious appetite and thirst. The family in the story would now all have been older or retired so he’s turned up at a Christmas tea dance for senior citizens, as well as appearing in the doorway of a family meal in A Tiger Who Came to See.” PJ Crook

Two days and counting till the opening of Literary Lions & Other Beasts! Check out the exhibition on our website, link in bio 👀

Literary beast of the week 🐾Today’s literary beast is the one and only Richard Parker from Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi…...
03/10/2026

Literary beast of the week 🐾

Today’s literary beast is the one and only Richard Parker from Yann Martel’s The Life of Pi…

“Several years ago, a friend sent us a copy of The Life of Pi. The story is about Pi being shipwrecked and sharing a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a large bengal tiger whose name was Richard Parker. And since I’m married to a Richard Parker, I felt a great attachment to him. Gradually during the adventure, the other animals are eaten by the tiger so only Pi and Richard Parker remain. It is a thrilling read and eventually they reach land and go off in different directions. Barac Obama wrote to Yann Martel to say after reading it, it convinced him that there was a god.” PJ Crook MBE RWA FRSA

Opening a week today…
PJ Crook | Literary Lions & Other Beasts

Dickens & Grip - did you know Charles Dickens had a raven called Grip? 🐦‍⬛“He loved his raven and even taught it to spea...
29/09/2026

Dickens & Grip - did you know Charles Dickens had a raven called Grip? 🐦‍⬛

“He loved his raven and even taught it to speak Cockney slang. When the bird died, he learned taxidermy so he could stuff Grip because he couldn’t bear to be parted from him. In fact, he had three ravens, one after the other, all called Grip, plus a canary, an eagle and cats.

What’s even more fascinating is another writer was so intrigued by the story that when the stuffed Grip came up for auction he bought it. And when you know it was Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote the famous poem, The Raven, you realise what a profound effect it had on his writing.”

That was an extract from PJ Crook’s artist note for our forthcoming exhibition Literary Lions and Other Beasts, opening with a private view evening on Friday 9th October. Find out more on our website, link in bio 👀

19/09/2026

Explore an imaginative collection of paintings based on the creatures that have inspired some of history's greatest writers. 🦁🐦‍⬛🎨

Find out more about the upcoming exhibition at Cheltenham's Paragon Gallery on SoGlos ➡️ https://pulse.ly/3yeq4krm8b

The countdown begins…A month today we will be opening the doors to a major exhibition by acclaimed British artist, PJ Cr...
11/09/2026

The countdown begins…

A month today we will be opening the doors to a major exhibition by acclaimed British artist, PJ Crook MBE RWA FRSA. We are delighted to announce Literary Lions & Other Beasts, opening Saturday 10th October, following a preview evening on the 9th October.

Coinciding with the Cheltenham Literature Festival, this exhibition draws together the worlds of narrative art and literature in a captivating new body of work exploring the enduring relationships between writers and animals. Rich in character and curiosity, this exhibition promises an enchanting and intriguing journey through the worlds of art, literature and the animal kingdom.

More to follow, in the meantime, check out the event on our website, link in bio 👀

06/08/2026

We bid a fond farewell to our British Masters show and what a truly inspiring collection of works that was! But we’re back with our brilliant contemporary artists again, filling the gallery with colour and cheer ☀️

With new collections in from Andy Watt, Natasha Kumar, Corine Ko, Linda Franklin, Julian Carr, and more, statement sculpture by Antonio Lopez Reche, Adam Binder, Sally Grant, Robert Fogell and Colin Hawkins, there’s heaps of art to browse!

Check out our website - link in bio 🕶️
















03/07/2026

Friday greetings to you! We’re excited because doors open tomorrow for our latest exhibition - British Masters | The Artists Who Shaped Modern Britain 🥂

With original artworks on show and available to buy from some of the titans of 20th century British art, it’s an absolute must-see! Check out our website for more information, the exhibition is on until 1st August 👀

Address

4 Rotunda Terrace, Montpellier Street
Cheltenham
GL501SW

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441242233391

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