Protected as an ‘Art Museum’ now, Ron’s Place Birkenhead in England, is a one-of-a-kind apartment.
Ron Gittins was a talented artist with a vision and despite his eccentricities, spent thirty-three years transforming his home into a fully immersive art experience.
Gittins lived a lonely life and never let anyone enter his apartment; so even his family was unaware of the massive sculptures and beautiful paintings he had created until he died in 2019.
After his death, his family members were shocked to see the the amazing artwork that Gittins had created in the entire apartment, as well as the huge stacks of bags, art tools, cartons, and other art supplies.
His niece Jan Williams and her partner Chris Teasdale started a petition to protect the apartment, thinking it would be a shame to allow such unique artwork to be destroyed.
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Thanks to the efforts of Williams and Teasdale, the flat in Birkenhead, England, and the artwork can now be seen by everyone since it has been given special status by England’s Department for Culture.
The protected property, known as Ron’s Place, has been upgraded to Grade II grade because it “has more than special interest” and cannot be damaged in any manner.
His relatives claimed that Gittins could be difficult to deal with and might have struggled with mental health issues. Nevertheless, he lived a happy life and never cared about what people thought of him.
At times he dressed up and went outdoors to purchase art supplies for his amazing creations at home.
To raise money for the apartment, Williams and her partner, who are also artists, started a trust called- Wirral Arts and Culture Community Land Trust for crowdfunding purposes.
Luckily they were able to raise enough funds to buy not just the apartment but the entire building.
The entire flat is filled with famous historical Roman, Greek, and Egyptian scenes, which are displayed in paintings and murals across the walls and ceiling. Apart from these, there are other paintings of water life too.
But the most amazing artworks are huge sculptures of animals including a minotaur, a fireplace with a gigantic lion’s head on it, and a Roman altar in his kitchen.
It is assumed that Gittins might have cooked in the fireplace inside the head of the massive lion sculpture, to make it a practical working fireplace.
According to the official Ron’s Place website, “Ron always had his own particular vision and tended to work outside the parameters of the official art world.”
Very rarely, he took on portrait requests, however, his main area of interest was producing artwork which was immersive and dreamlike.
According to Upworthy, the other flats in the building will be renovated and used, later on, as artist studios for anyone who would like to visit and work there.
In the 33 years, that Gittins lived in the apartment starting from 1986 to 2019, he never allowed anybody to see his creations until his death; but his art will now live on and be seen by countless people who will be inspired by it.
