Prince's pop-up art show

He is a descendant of the former ruling Russian Imperial dynasty the House of Romanov. Born in Illinois, Rostislav and his family faced financial difficulties when his father died, so in order to provide for the family, his mother turned an 18th-century house in Rye into a bed and breakfast. The building however was in a semi-derelict state and in need of renovation. As there was no kitchen to begin with, Rostislav and his siblings used to carry buckets of water up to the bathroom in order to wash the dishes in the bathtub.

Hastings and Beyond is the intimate collection that reflects Prince Rostislav’s experience of growing up in East Sussex, more specifically around Hastings and Rye.

There are a total of 20 dream-like paintings that vary dramatically in range of colour. Hastings and Beyond takes the viewer to the landscapes that bared witness to an adolescent becoming a man while dealing with the death of his father at the age of 13.

Always a natural creative, Rostislav was encouraged to channel his grief into painting and it was here with the help his inspirational art teacher, John Hinchcliffe, and his wife Wendy Barber, that his love affair with the arts really began.

Speaking ahead of the pop-up exhibition in London, Rostislav said: “Hastings and Beyond is an extremely important body of work. I use my favoured medium – oil on canvas, to depict my much-loved subject – landscapes. I hope viewers of my collection can relate to the emotive depth that I have tried to communicate.”

The locations of Hastings and Rye that Rostislav has reinterpreted includes Pett Level Beach, Camber Sands, the Fire Hills and Rye Bay.

Hastings and Beyond will be held as a pop-up in a private residence in St James’s, London from Monday June 6 from 03:00pm to 10:00pm.