Osborne Samuel Gallery is proud to have built a reputation for pioneering exhibitions of Modern British art. We are particularly keen to call attention to artists who have been neglected in the past, who surely demand a proper re-appraisal. This exhibition of post-war British Constructive art does just that.
In 2005 Osborne Samuel held the exhibition Nine Abstract Artists - Revisited, which brought together as a group the work of a collection of artists who had originally exhibited together in the 1955 exhibition organised by Lawrence Alloway, an exhibition which highlighted the significance and progressive nature of British Abstract Art of the time. Now, in 2007, Towards a Rational Aesthetic: Constructive Art in Post-War Britain picks up where Nine Abstract Artists left off, including many of the artists who were in the original 1955 exhibition. It follows the development of British Abstract art from its Constructivist roots with Victor Pasmore’s Constructionist Group through to the later vanguard of artists who founded the Systems group alongside Jeffrey Steele and Malcolm Hughes. It also includes the subsequent branches of op-art and geometric abstract styles such as the group of artists from the West Country who also emerged at the same time in response to and as a result of the methods which underpin the Constructivist movement.
The gallery has assembled an exceptional collection of nearly sixty works from nineteen key artists of the period, spanning over fifty years of British Avant-garde art. It comprises paintings, sculpture, works on paper and reliefs. Many of these artists have received far more recognition in Europe than in their home country. This exhibition provides for the first time an opportunity to examine these artists from within this broad constructive context. We hope to reveal the breadth and astoundingly forward-thinking nature of their work and also raise the profile of the period, and the artists themselves, many of whom are still under-appreciated.
We are fortunate to be able to include in this catalogue an enlightening essay by Alan Fowler, written especially for the exhibition. This underlines his knowledge of the period and the considerable time spent in correspondence and in conversation with many of the artists themselves.
This exhibition follows on from the recent touring exhibition soon to be on show in Tate St Ives, of works by Kenneth and Mary Martin, both of whom were key figures of Constructivism. It also marks a newly emerging recognition for the period reflected in both this exhibition and the later exhibition at Southampton Art Gallery in January 2008, curated by Alan Fowler.
For further information on the exhibition or to request a copy of the extensive exhibtion catalogue with essay by Alan Fowler please contact Lucy Tyler at the gallery or email: ltyler@osbornesamuel.com
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10an - 2p
m |
