A painter, broadcaster and author, he has exhibited internationally and is represented in the permanent collection of the Imperial War Museum, London; the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa; and the National War Memorial, New Zealand. Along with leading roles in international higher education and global research assessment, his research into the representation war and peace has been presented to audiences throughout the world. He has published nine books, including monographs on the British painter Stanley Spencer, Paul and John Nash and several comprehensive studies of art from both World Wars. He worked in television for ten years and is currently writing his second book about the street artist, Banksy.
Gough's published research covers art history, cultural geography and heritage studies. Besides exhibiting internationally, he has published several monographs on Stanley Spencer: Journey to Burghclere in 2006; A Terrible Beauty: British Artists in the First World War in 2010, and Your Loving Friend, the edited correspondence between Stanley Spencer and Desmond Chute, in 2011, and The Holy Box
Books and articles on the street artist Banksy have been published since 2012 and he makes regular media appearances on national and international TV and radio about street art. Further papers, articles and books on the imagery or war and peace have been published in the past decade, including the first work on the painters John and Paul Nash, Brothers in Arms, in 2014. As part of a programme of exhibitions, events and publications linked to the centenary of the start of the First World War he edited a volume of commissioned and curated work under the title, Art, Memory and the Aftermath of War (2015-18). Books on the landscape painter Paul Lewin followed in 2017, and further studies of Stanley Spencer 'The Holy Box', followed in 2017 and 2018.
He is currently working on his second book on Banksy, and collaborating on an illustrated biography of Gilbert Spencer RA for Yale University Press. He maintains a studio practice as a fine artist.
Paul Gough has supervised 12 higher degree students to completion and conducted 14 PhD, MPhil and other higher degree examinations.
With over 30 years experience of UK and overseas higher education, Gough has served on numerous HE and arts working groups: he worked on the UK Strategic Advisory Group of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), HEFCE Research Capability Fund panel, chair of AHRC ‘Landscape and Environment’ commissioning panel, and was a panel member for UK RAE 2001 and served as Chair of the UK Art and Design panel for RAE 2008. He has worked internationally – in Australia, Rumania, and New Zealand - on research assessment exercises. In 2014 he chaired the Research Assessment Exercise panel for arts, design and performing arts in Hong Kong. In Australia he served on the Australian Council of Learned Academic working groups, and since returning to the UK has take on the role of the national chair of UKADIA.