“A good painting is a number of colored marks,
made by hand, brush or roller, across a at surface, so that later a viewer can
absorb emotional and intellectual energy from it. A good, or great, painter is
simply a hard-working individual who has, over a period of time, produced many
good paintings. By this reckoning, Gillian Ayres has to be one of our nest.”
Andrew
Marr - 2016
London
Now: Alan Cristea Gallery - Gillian Ayres: Paintings and Woodcuts Exhibition.
At the Alan Cristea Gallery in Pall Mall the exhibition Gillian Ayres:
Paintings and Woodcuts, until April 22. Gillian Ayres RA CBE is one of
Britain’s most respected and best-loved post-war artists and a pioneer of
abstract painting. Unconventional in life and in work, Ayres, who turned
eighty-seven in February, continues to forge her own individual path
regardless of fashion or opinion. Never
before seen early paintings are shown alongside the monumental painting (above),
Untitled (Cerise), 1972, displayed for the first time since being made, it is a
rare example of a surviving painting from this period. Ayres pinned the canvas to
the wall of her attic, which stretched the length of her house in South London.
Thick acrylic was laid on top of the canvas and swept down, to end in runs and
dribbles. Gestural work on such a vast scale was reminiscent of European Tachiste
painting and American Abstract Expressionism.
To coincide with the exhibition, Art/ Books, in conjunction with the
Alan Cristea Gallery published the definitive monograph on Ayres, written by
Martin Gayford and David Cleaton-Roberts of the Alan Cristea Gallery, with a
foreword by Andrew Marr, spanning six decades of the artists career.
Gillian
Ayres: Paintings and Woodcuts
Not
wishing to conform or to be categorized in anyway, Ayres has adopted a variety
of styles and techniques throughout her career. These early works are shown
alongside new paintings, dating from 2016, which use thick applied oil paint to
create clear and defined edges and shapes, and a recently completed body of
woodcut prints, works produced by an artist at the height of her powers and
that are exuberant, vigorous and full of color and energy.
Photo credit FXP Photography, London
Gillian
Ayres – Exhibitions 2017
Gillian
Ayres - National Museum Cardiff - Wales
8
April - 3 September
The
largest exhibition of Gillian Ayres’ works to date presents paintings and works
on paper from 1950s to 1980s, offering a unique insight into the untold story
of the influence of Wales on Ayres’ life and work.
Gillian
Ayres - Tremenheere Sculpture Garden - Penzance
1
April – 7 May
A
solo exhibition of new prints and sculpture curated by David Cleaton-Roberts
and Helen Waters of the Alan Cristea Gallery.
Royal
Academy Arts - London
London
Original Print Fair - Gillian Ayres
4
- 7 May 2017
The
Alan Cristea Gallery will dedicate their booth to new prints by Gillian Ayres
and Cornelia Parker.
Photo credit FXP Photography, London
Gillian
Ayres: Paintings and Woodcuts
