The artists has pioneered new directions in stained glass, extending his practice to painting sculpture and mosaics. The selection of paintings also demonstrates the interaction between media in the artist's oeuvre.
London—Pace London is pleased to present an
exhibition of new work by the leading British artist Brian
Clarke.
Presenting the artist’s stained-glass pieces and
paintings, the exhibition will be on view at 6–10
Lexington Street from 13 February to 21 March 2015.
Clarke’s solo exhibition will run in conjunction with A
Strong Sweet Smell of Incense, a group exhibition
curated by Clarke at 6 Burlington Gardens celebrating
the seminal Swinging London art dealer who was both
a friend and early supporter of Clarke. Pace will publish
two catalogues to accompany the respective
exhibitions.
For more than four decades, Clarke has pioneered
new directions in stained glass, extending his practice
to painting sculpture and mosaics. Architecturally,
Clarke has collaborated with figures such as Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, I.M Pei and Renzo Piano.
Clarke developed his interest in glass out of exposure to British Gothic cathedrals during his childhood
in northern England. Although he maintains a classical knowledge of the medium, he has developed
it beyond its largely religious siting. Clarke has filtered his understanding of stained glass’s history and
technique through a contemporary canon, employing the delicate medium to make artworks in the
non-ecclesiastical traditions of Pop Art and abstraction.
“After nearly four decades of intense production in painting, sculpture, and stained glass, Clarke is
not an easy artist to absorb, let alone to classify. If there were an artist capable of synthesizing space,
time, and light, ranging from his intimate “drawings in the air” on black sugar paper to his rigorous in-
depth architectonic achievements, he could be none other than Brian Clarke.” Robert C. Morgan,
Between Extremities catalogue, Pace Gallery NY, 2013.
In recognition of the significance of architecture and in situ work in his practice, Clarke will install a
new stained-glass window specifically designed for the Lexington Street gallery.
The selection of paintings also demonstrates the interaction between media in the artist’s oeuvre.
Paintings frequently function as the genesis of Clarke’s stained glass works, yet the distinction
between the opacity of painting versus the site-specific translucency of the glass, reveals his sensitivity
to colour and material.
Image: Brian Clarke in his studio by Ti Foster
Press Contact:
Nicolas Smirnoff, nicolas@pacegallery.com
Opening: 13 February 2015
Pace Gallery
6-10 Lexington Street, First floo