12/5/2006
Frank Bowling
ArtSway, Sway
Spanning over 40 years of working practice, the "White Paintings" represent a counterbalance to the large-scale vibrant abstract canvases of intense colour for which he is best known throughout the world. They are both enigmatic and elegant, while retaining traces of Bowling’s trademark colour sensibilities.
The White Paintings
ArtSway presents a major exhibition of the White Paintings by Frank Bowling.
Spanning over 40 years of working practice, the White Paintings represent a
counterbalance to the large-scale vibrant abstract canvases of intense colour for
which Bowling is best known throughout the world. They are both enigmatic and
elegant, while retaining traces of Bowling’s trademark colour sensibilities.
The White Paintings form an integral part of Bowling’s oeuvre, proving his
dedication and exhaustive pursuit of excellence in painting. Bowling’s paintings are
inspired by British traditions, as expressed by Gainsborough, Turner, Richard
Wilson; and Old Masters of the Western tradition, such as Goya, Rembrandt and
Titian. Arriving in New York City in the mid 1960s freed Bowling, as a painter, to
pursue his own unique vision in the wake of Abstract Expressionists such as Newman,
Pollock, Rothko and Still. His friendship with their champion Clement Greenberg also
contributed to this artistic vicissitude.
Frank Bowling is considered one of the most influential artists to emerge from the
post-war British art schools. He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1962,
alongside contemporaries such as David Hockney, RB Kitaj and Derek Boshier. Over a
long and distinguished career Bowling has garnered a transatlantic reputation and
has, since the mid-sixties, worked both in London and New York.
Born in British Guiana in 1936, Frank Bowling arrived in England in 1950 to complete
his formal education. His work is in many permanent collections, including the
Metropolitan Museum, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of
Jamaica; The Menil Foundation, Houston, Texas; and Tate Gallery, London. Bowling has
been awarded two Guggenheim Fellowships and two Pollock-Krasner Awards and was
elected a Royal Academician in May 2005, the first time a black British artist has
been elected in the Academy’s 200 year history.
Frank Bowling is represented in the UK by ROLLO Contemporary Art, London. A full
colour catalogue Frank Bowling RA (ISBN: 0-9543930-6-6) with an essay by Matthew
Collings accompanies the exhibition and is available from ArtSway and ROLLO
Contemporary Art.
Editor’s Note: ArtSway is the contemporary visual arts centre in the New Forest,
United Kingdom, presenting a changing exhibition programme of international
significance in a unique rural environment, while facilitating the development of
new works by artists and offering creative opportunities for audiences. Recent
exhibitors include: Igloo, Alison Turnbull, Anne Hardy, Richard Billingham and Anna
Best. ArtSway’s most recent international project was New Forest Pavilion during the
51st Venice Biennale (2005).
Exhibition Related events:
Free Coach to ArtSway from London: Join the artist for the opening reception on
Saturday, 13 May 2006. A free coach will leave central London at 10.30am and return
for the early evening. Booking your place is essential, please contact Adelina on
+44 (0) 1590 682260 x16 or adelina@artsway.org.uk
In Conversation: Frank Bowling & Richard Cork:
Saturday 24 June 2006 at 2pm
A unique opportunity to join artist Frank Bowling as he discusses his long and
successful career with highly respected art critic, writer and broadcaster Richard
Cork. Please book to ensure a place. Free
Gallery Talk: Abstraction, Expressionism and the Paintings of Frank Bowling RA:
Monday 22 May 2006, 7.30pm
Jim Hunter, Director of the School of Art, The Arts Institute of Bournemouth, will
outline the relationship between Frank Bowling’s work and the history of Abstraction
and Expressionism. Please book to ensure a place. Free
Reception for the artist: 13 May 2006 at 1pm
ArtSway
Station Road - Sway
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11am-5pm
Admission is free.