Commenting on the 1960 Drian Gallery Exhibition, which was comprised of 22 works by Stephenson from the late 1950s, Herbert Read spoke of the ‘freshness and vitality’ of these later works noting that ‘the vicissitudes of the art world are such that it is possible for an artist of great talent to work for a lifetime in obscurity, and only towards the end of his career find the recognition that is due to him’.
Read also noted that Stephenson ‘was one of the earliest artists in this country to

develop a completely abstract style’.