Front Night Swimmer IV mixed media on canvas on panel 69 x 89 cm (27 x 35 in) 6,000 1 Road Marking mixed media on canvas on panel 134 x 97 cm (53 x

Transcription

1 MAXWELL DOIG

2 2 Front Night Swimmer IV mixed media on canvas on panel 69 x 89 cm (27 x 35 in) 6,000 1 Road Marking mixed media on canvas on panel 134 x 97 cm (53 x 38 in) 7,850 2 Self Portrait with Floorboards mixed media on canvas on panel 34 x 25 cm (13 x 10 in) 3,000 3 Swimmer III mixed media on canvas on panel 134 x 97 cm (53 x 38 in) 7,850 4 Swimmer II mixed media on canvas on panel 111 x 80 cm (44 x 31 in) 6,750 5 Figure with Red Hair on Black Asphalt mixed media on canvas on panel 89 x 64 cm (35 x 25 in) 6,000 6 Figure with Red Hair on Black Asphalt II mixed media on canvas on panel 89 x 64 cm (35 x 25 in) 6,000 7 Figure in front of Red Boat mixed media on canvas on panel 153 x 109 cm (60 x 43 in) 8,750 8 Figure in front of Blue Boat mixed media on canvas on panel 153 x 109 cm (60 x 43 in) 8,750 9 Night Swimmer V mixed media on canvas on panel 92 x 70 cm (36 x 28 in) 6, Night Swimmer VII mixed media on canvas on panel 111 x 80 cm (44 x 31 in) 6, Night Swimmer II mixed media on archival paper 51 x 71 cm (20 x 28 in) 2, Night Swimmer I mixed media on archival paper 71 x 51 cm (28 x 20 in) 2, Night Swimmer III mixed media on archival paper 51 x 71 cm (20 x 28 in) 2,500 Back Night Swimmer VI mixed media on canvas on panel 70 x 92 cm (28 x 36 in) 6,250 Please note that all works are available on receipt of the brochure All prices are inclusive of UK VAT which is deductible on shipment outside of the EU 1

3 Compared to the paintings of figures on solid ground, which are still and permanent, the water figures are transient their opposite. The water allows movement and change; the form dissolves and suggests, and it allows me to take liberties with the human figure. 4 3 The art of Maxwell Doig is immediately recognisable as his, not only because of his very individual deployment of various painterly techniques, but also, primarily indeed, because of his distinctive vision. Such skill in purely representational painting is rare indeed these days, but one does not win the Villiers David Prize, as Doig did in 1997, for skill alone. What makes Doig stand out, then and now, is his visions of life itself. As he puts it, In an age when everything is moving so fast, I m interested in portraying stillness and quiet And who, in the light of Vermeer and Hammersmith, can argue with that? John Russell Taylor, 2006 Art Critic and Writer

4 The single, solitary figure, male or female, has been central for the last 25 years. In 1987 I drew the first version of Figure in front of boat, the second and third version of which I have painted for this exhibition. It was a breakthrough piece because it was the first time I became an artist in my own right. 6 5 Doig s work is far from impervious to change, and if the following ten years are as varied and productive as the last decade, this exhibition will mark the emergence of a distinct and compelling painter. Charlotte Mullins, 1997 Art Critic, Writer and Broadcaster

5 I knew at an early stage that, when working with the human figure, that if I could feel the pose in my own body then, somehow, the drawing or painting would be more convincing because it was more felt. And this is still the case today. 7 8 The single figures in these works struggle to winch up bundles of oars or manoeuvre pairs against gravity. The images are often large but never cluttered because already he is concerned with composition: the bent figures, the clashing diagonals of the oars, and the calm shapes of up-ended boats maintain a taut balance. Acid yellows and blues prevent them from being either illustrations or very comfortable to contemplate. Like Vaughan he has an ascetic outlook, a rather narrow colour range and a concern with edge and structure, which will keep the emotional temperature of his pictures cool. Malcolm Yorke, 1991 Writer and Artist

6 In recent years, there has been more analysis of form; but I have always used the figure as a metaphor or symbol for my own inner life and vision. As a friend the painter David Blackburn once said, An artist follows his own obsessions, whatever they are, and ignores the rest There is a time when an artist feels ready to exhibit his work, to share his vision with others. We may spend a few minutes in the gallery looking at it and then we decide whether to stay or move on. The decision to remain and contemplate the world of Maxwell Doig would be a wise one.. The drawings are often in mixed media using print making techniques and then overworked with watercolour, gouache and chalk. There is an oriental subtlety in the quality of the line, a sensual line that reminds me of Brett Whiteley. He is an artist at the beginning of his career but already we can see him shaping his world, forming his language. Maxwell is excited by the world and its wonders and his developing vision will increasingly enrich our experience. Stay and contemplate his work. It will reward and surprise you. David Blackburn, 1990 Artist and Friend

7 MAXWELL DOIG (Born 1966, Huddersfield) EDUCATION 1984 Meets David Blackburn, who becomes a mentor Manchester School of Art. Awarded BA (Hons) Degree 2/1 in Fine Art Slade School of Art Postgraduate Study in Fine Art 1989 Anatomy for Artists, University College, London Awarded place at Hochshule Der Kunst, Berlin, as Artist in Residence 1997 Travelled extensively through U.S.A., Mexico and Australia Part-time Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2012 Early Works, from the David Blackburn Collection Gallery 108, Harrogate 2008 The Lowry Hotel, Manchester Albemarle Gallery, London 2007 Studio Forni, Milan 2006 Albemarle Gallery, London 2004 Albemarle Gallery, London 2002 Albemarle Gallery, London Hart Gallery, London 1999 Villiers David Prize Exhibition Hart Gallery, London 1997 Hart Gallery, London Touring Exhibition, Paintings & Drawings Huddersfield Art Gallery Wakefield Art Gallery Mercer Gallery Harrogate and Salford Art Gallery 1995 Hart Gallery, London 1994 Hart Gallery, Nottingham 1992 Hart Gallery, Nottingham 1990 Hart Gallery, Nottingham SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2012 Nude Collective Exhibition, Albemarle Gallery, London Aqueous Collective Exhibition, Albemarle Gallery, London Dive! Art and Water Mercer Gallery, Harrogate 2011 Korean International Art Fair, Seoul, Albemarle Gallery Elleanor Ettinger Gallery, British Figurative Painting, New York Albemarle Gallery, Summer Collective, London 2010 Albemarle Gallery, 4 British Figurative Painters, London Albemarle Gallery, Charity Group Exhibition, London 2009 Albemarle Gallery, Group Exhibition, London 2008 Albemarle Gallery, Summer Exhibition, London 2007 Standard Chartered Exhibition, London Form London Olympia, Albemarle Gallery, London Arte Fiera, Galleria Forni, Bologna 2006 Human Art Lucio Barbera, Sicily 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Albemarle Gallery, London 2005 Arte Fiera, Galleria Forni, Bologna Nuova Figurazione Britannica, Forni Gallery, Bologna What is Realism?, Albemarle Gallery, London Summer Exhibition, Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York British Figurative Art, Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, London Holman and Fenwick, London 2004 London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London 2003 artlondon, Burton s Court, London Summer Exhibition, Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York International Summer Show, Albemarle Gallery, London Villiers David Prizewinners, Ten Years, Christies, London New Year, New Work, Albemarle Gallery, London 2000 Blake s Heaven Tribute to William Blake, Scholar Fine Art Group Exhibition Riverhouse Gallery, London Twentieth Century British Art Fair, London Maxwell Doig exhibited in over 30 group exhibitions

8 AWARDS 1997 Winner of Villiers David Prize 1995 Short-listed for Villiers David Prize 1990 Joseph Web Prize for Draughtsman under 35 years 1989 Laura Ashley Scholarship 1988 Scholarship to the Slade, University of London Landscape Drawing Award, Manchester Academy Open Exhibition COLLECTIONS Standard Chartered Holman and Fenwick University of Manchester University of London Mercer Gallery, Harrogate Provident Financial Group Huddersfield Art Gallery Prudential PLC SELECTED PUBLICATIONS 2012 In Conversation with Andrew Stuart, 108 Gallery Director 2008 Exhibition Review by Steve Pil for Artist & Illustrator 2007 Exhibition Review by Alessandro Redaelli for Art magazine 2006 Book Cover The Novel Now by Richard Bradford 2006 Catalogue Essay by John Russell Taylor 2003 Who s Who in Art, 31st Edition, Hilmarton Manor Press 2003 Christies Exhibition Review Formal & Dignified by Tim Forrest 2001 Exhibition Review for the ArtNewspaper, No. 114, by E Moncrieff 2001 Profile, Arts Review magazine, May 2001 by Joe Manby 1999 Exhibition Review by John Russell Taylor for The Times ALBEMARLE GALLERY MMXXII