The Light Fantastic Catalogue

Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:09 Page 1
Brendan Neiland
Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:10 Page 2
Brendan Neiland
The Light Fantastic
The Redfern Gallery
20 Cork Street London W1S 3HL
T: 020 7734 1732/0578
art@redfern-gallery.com | redfern-gallery.com
The
Redfern
Gallery
Established 1923
Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:10 Page 2
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been very fortunate to enjoy a
close relationship with Brendan Neiland, whose work has played such an
important role in British contemporary art.
Brendan has given generously of his time and experience to inspire and
educate our fine art students. He shares the university’s ethos that art
should challenge our perspective and help us engage with a dynamic
cultural landscape.
In 2013 DMU had the privilege of awarding Brendan an honorary Doctorate
of Arts in recognition of his impressive body of work, some of which can
be seen in this superb exhibition.
The university is very grateful for all the support Brendan has given to
our students and wishes him all the very best for this event.
Professor Dominic Shellard
Vice-Chancellor of the De Montfort University, Leicester
Brendan Neiland has been a long-standing friend and supporter of
The University of Sheffield over many years. In 2002 the University
commissioned Brendan to paint the University Library and this magnificent
painting has been admired by many staff, students, alumni and visitors.
The title of the painting is the University’s motto – Rerum Cognoscere
Causas – and means “To Discover the Causes of Things” [from Virgil’s
Georgics II, I, 490]. The University is strongly committed to the Arts and
Humanities which enrich our lives and help us to discover and appreciate
beauty in all its forms: a journey which is both civilising and uplifting.
The University thanks Brendan for all of his support and we are, once
again, delighted to be sponsoring this exhibition catalogue in his honour.
Professor Sir Keith Burnett, FRS
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield
Downtown 2014
Acrylic on canvas, 121 × 91 cm
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The Light Fantastic
I first met Brendan Neiland 30 years ago. The
occasion was the celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the Royal Institute of British
Architects, marked by a Gala Dinner at Hampton
Court Palace. The anniversary soon took a
back seat following a speech by the Prince of
Wales, who delivered a series of withering criticisms
of contemporary architects and all their works,
including the phrases ‘monstrous carbuncle’ and
‘glass stump’, used to describe designs for the
National Gallery and an office tower in the City of
London.
The speech was an overnight sensation, fully
reported in the Times and seized on by the media
as ‘the voice of the common man’. I listened to it
with some trepidation: if that is what he thought
about modern architecture, what on earth would
he have to say about modern art?
This was a pertinent point, because the reason
Brendan and I were at the event was in order to
present the Prince with a limited edition print of a
painting by Brendan of the Fountain Court part of
the Palace, as a memento of the occasion. The work
had been commissioned by Building Design
magazine, which I was editing at the time, hence
our invitation to the Great Event.
Prince Charles may have had his criticisms of
architects, but he spent a long time chatting
to Brendan and me about the print, which
was typical of Brendan’s work at the time, a
combination of frozen images of shivering and
shimmering facades and, in this case, water.
In fact we received far more princely attention
than the architects gathered in a long room after
dinner. Art apparently was a more appropriate
subject for discussion . . .
I still have an artist’s print of what was titled
‘Hampton Court’, and in reviewing the work
in Brendan’s 2014 exhibition, it was interesting
to compare and contrast that piece from
1984. There are certainly some similarities,
of technique and subject matter, the careful
composition, the exploitation of process to
overlay and rework, the contrast of colour
and, most obviously, the on-going interest
in reflection and reflectivity – those kissing
cousins which are not synonymous.
But the differences of the work today far
outweigh the similarities, and suggest that
the Neiland oeuvre is not just embracing a
new phase, but is evidence of a mature artist
absolutely confident about subject matter,
Serendipity 2014 Acrylic on canvas, 121 × 91 cm
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observation, analysis and artistic realisation.
By comparison that 1984 piece seems a little timid.
The boldness of the work in this catalogue is
probably the consequence of Brendan having
concentrated on his own artistic output since the
abrupt severing of his relationship with the Royal
Academy ten years ago. In retrospect the RA’s
behaviour seems even more scandalous than it did
at the time, an offence against natural justice which
continues to stain its reputation with those who
understand, as it were, the full picture. In any
event, those who predicted that Brendan’s quantity
and quality of work would benefit from a new-found
freedom have had their view resoundingly
confirmed. (They will enjoy the way the letters ‘RA’
have crept onto the edge of one of the images.)
The latest collection of work is striking above all for
its use of vivid colour, drawn from travels at home
and abroad: London, Singapore, Las Vegas, Costa
Rica. Startling contrasts of tone give a distinct, and
distinctly urban, feel to the work as a whole. Rather
than the ethereal clouds and pale blue skies of
yesteryear, the Neiland work positively glows with
rich hues and concentrated light.
Another noticeable element is a super-realist
version of people – or rather images of people reinterpreted through an artist’s eye, however they
were originally portrayed. The beautiful face,
photographed, digitised and used as advertising or
show promotion by commercial hands, becomes
source material for another more knowing version
Whisper 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
of the same basic image, more knowing because
we the viewers know that this is a game of sorts –
from my perspective as an architectural editor, merging
the Robert Venturi/Denise Scott Brown concepts
outlined in their books Complexity and Contradiction
in Architecture, and Learning from Las Vegas.
We have entered a world of Neon! Cowgirls!
Lipstick!
Camera 2012 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
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The images derive, however, from the emotional
response to what it is the artist has seen – but
more importantly felt – on jungle safaris or
wandering urban streets in the quest to find
meaning or inspiration. When we see those
illuminated signs and images, what exactly are we
seeing? Not just advertisements or come-hither bar
signs, but the backdrop to the stage-sets in which
we act out our lives. We stop noticing them.
The artist does not, and the filter through which
artistic production takes place results in, when it is
working properly, a reminder of what it is that we
are no longer seeing. That is what provides the
memorable moment between view and work of art.
And in that sense, as Oscar Wilde remarked in The
Picture of Dorian Gray, ‘It is the spectator, not life,
that art really mirrors.’
In a world increasingly dominated by the visual in
myriad forms, rather than by words and books, the
relationship between viewer and viewed, and the
midwifery practised by artist, sculptor, video-maker,
digital magician itself becomes a fuzzy interaction,
where precision of meaning is as irrelevant as it is
elusive.
It is not the function of art (itself a contradiction in
terms) to explain anything.
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Wedge 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
It may illuminate, provoke, baffle, terrify or
bore rigid. It is not the artist’s intention that
matters, it is the effect on the viewer, which is
unpredictable except where there is a knowing
attempt to outrage respectable society, as Wilde
would have put it. That is why real artists are true
to themselves; success may (at worst) result in
cynical commercial output (Dali simply signing
canvases was the last word on this subject); at best
it evokes an understanding on the part of the
individual, and sometimes the public, as to the
integrity of what is being offered.
– of thought and of the drawing intelligence
underlying everything.
Above all, the work is optimistic, vital, charged,
intense. There is still abstraction, reflection and
creative distortion, but there is figurative yeast in
the multi-seeded loaf that the artist offers us, sliced
for our enjoyment. It is exactly the opposite of halfbaked.
Paul Finch OBE
Editorial Director, The Architectural Review
This latest Neiland collection is part of an
identifiable series of interests in the artist’s work,
which seem to have broadened and intensified in
recent years rather than become concentrated
reductions of earlier themes. Everything is suffused
with light that dazzles, exposes and defines the line
City Fragments I 2012 Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
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Golden Trumpet 2014
Acrylic on canvas, 121 × 91 cm
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Madison 2012 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
above:
Chief 2012 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
Cowboy 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
following spread:
Chatter 2014 Acrylic on canvas, 120 × 180 cm
12
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Sweet Dreams 2012
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
Liberty 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
Pool Player 2012
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
Siren 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
16
17
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above:
Allure 2014
Acrylic on paper, 13 × 18 cm
right:
Gala Queen 2012
Acrylic on canvas, 182 × 122 cm
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City Fragments II 2014
Acrylic on paper, 18 × 13 cm
City Fragments IV 2014 Acrylic on paper, 13 × 18 cm
City Fragments III 2014
Acrylic on paper, 18 × 13 cm
City Fragments V 2014 Acrylic on paper, 13 × 18 cm
following spread:
Banter 2012-13 Acrylic on canvas, 120 × 180 cm
20
21
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Waitress 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
City Fragments VI 2014
Acrylic on paper, 13 × 18 cm
Soupçon 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
City Fragments VII 2014
Acrylic on paper, 18 × 13 cm
24
25
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above:
Whisper 2012
Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
right:
Movie Star 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
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City Swirl 2012
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
Anama 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
Golden Dreams 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
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above:
City Fragments VIII 2014
Acrylic on paper, 18 × 13 cm
right:
Queen Kong 2014
Acrylic on canvas, 180 × 120 cm
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Idol 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
Imagine 2013 Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
Muse 2013 Acrylic on paper, 28 × 36 cm
City Fragments IX 2014 Acrylic on paper, 13 × 18 cm
following spread:
Fusion 2013-14
Acrylic on canvas, 122 x 183 cm
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Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:12 Page 36
Selected Chronology
MAJOR COMMISSIONS
BIOGRAPHY
1941
1961-1966
1966-1969
1969
1970
1978
1979
1988
1992
1996
1998-2004
1999
1992-2005
2013
2014
Born Lichfield, Stafford
Birmingham College of Art
Royal College of Art, London
Awarded Silver Medal, Royal College of Art
Joined Angela Flowers Gallery, London
John Moore’s XI Prize Winner
Joined Fischer Fine Art Gallery, London
Elected Fellow of Royal Society of Painters and
Etchers (RE)
Joined Redfern Gallery, London
Elected Royal Academician
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Appointed Professor of Painting, University of
Brighton
Keeper of The Royal Academy of Arts
Appointed Professor of Painting, Loughborough
University
Royal Academician
Honorary Doctorate de Montfort University
Artist in Residence, Nan Yang Academy, Singapore
1993
1994
1994-1995
1995
1996
1997
1998
2001
2006
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1971/72/74
1973
1976
1977
1979
1980
1981
1983
1984
1987
1988
1989
1991
1992
36
Angela Flowers Gallery, London
Victoria and Albert Museum, London & Travelling
Exhibition
Brunel University
Park Square Gallery, Leeds
Arts Council Gallery, Belfast
Angela Flowers Gallery, London
Oxford Gallery, Oxford
Eastern Arts,The Minories, Colchester Tour
Prints and Paintings on Paper, AIR Gallery, London
Fischer Fine Art, London
Polytechnic Art Gallery, Newcastle
Anderson O’Day Gallery, London, Print Show Bury St
Edmunds Gallery, Bury St Edmunds
Drumcroon Gallery, Wigan Education Art Centre
Fischer Fine Art, London
Anderson O’Day Gallery, London
The Parnham Trust, Dorset
The Tate Gallery, London - Archive Display of the
work in creating the print Lloyds
Painting Beyond Architecture an Independent
Observation, Royal Institute of British Architects
Galleries, London
Brendan Neiland - Recent Paintings, Fischer Fine Art,
London
Gardner Centre, Brighton
2008
2011
2012
2014
2015
Milton Keynes Exhibition Centre
Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, Sunderland
Stafford Art Gallery, Stafford
Drumcroon Arts Centre, Wigan
Nottingham University Arts Centre, Nottingham
Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool
Redfern Gallery, London
Reading College of Arts & Technology, Reading
University of Brighton
A Display of Prints and Working Materials 1974-1995,
Royal Academy of Arts
Highlights; New Screenprints, Lamont Gallery, London
Cityscapes and Landscapes, Pallant House, Chichester
Redfern Gallery, London
Royal Academy of Arts, Friends Room
University of Brighton
Brunel University
Loughborough University
Keele University
Loughborough University
The Art of Reflection. Galerie Belvédère, Singapore
Brendan Neiland – A New Perspective, Turlej
Foundation, Krakow, Poland
Brendan Neiland – Recent Paintings and A Selection
of Prints, Redfern Gallery, London
Brendan Neiland – A Retrospective, Museum and Art
Galleries, Sharjah, UAE
An Exhibition of Prints by Brendan Neiland,
Intercontinental Hotel, London
Neildand’s Choice, John Bloxham Gallery, London
Brendan Neiland – Night and Day, Redfern Gallery,
London
A Seventieth Birthday Exhibition, Redfern Gallery,
London
Neiland at the Cut, paintings and works on paper,
the Cut London
Prints and works on paper, Galerie Belvedere,
Singapore
Neiland in Singapore, Galerie Belvedere Singapore
Elemetta Ltd
British Rail
The Economist
British Airports Authority: Terminal Four Building at Heathrow
Lloyds: Jardines
Gillette
Hospital for Nervous Diseases
Guildhall Museum
Uni-Life, Luxembourg
Rosehaugh Pic
Intercity
Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners
Reading College of Arts and Technology
University of Brighton
Staffordshire County Council
Great Western
Community College, Hackney
ScotRail
Gatwick Express
English Heritage
Proctor and Gamble: Aukett Pic
Loughborough University
National Bank of Dubai
Royal Mail
Bluewater Complex
Rover/BMW
MCL Group
AT Kearney
Ford Motor Company
Prudential
His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi
Rolls Royce Motors
University of Sheffield
Red Mansion
Rolls Royce Engines
Capitaland, Singapore
Winsor Properties Ltd., 15/F, One Landmark East, Hong Kong
Eastbourne, Towner Art Gallery
Glasgow, Museum & Art Gallery
Leeds, City Art Gallery
Leicester, Education Authority
Leicester, Museum & Art Gallery
Leigh, Museum & Art Gallery
London, Arts Council of Great Britain
London, Brunel University
London, Contemporary Art Society
London, Department of the Environment
London, English Heritage
London, Government Art Collection
London, Guildhall Museum, City of London
London, Gulbenkian Foundation
London, Hackney Community College
London, Museum of London
London, Royal College of Art
London, South London Art Gallery
London, Tate
London, Victoria & Albert Museum
Loughborough University
Manchester, Rutherstone Collection
Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery
Milton Keynes, The Open University
Newcastle, University of Northumbria
Portsmouth, City Museum
Reading, College of Art & Technology
Rochdale, Art Gallery
Salford, University of Salford
Sheffield, Graves Art Gallery
Sheffield, University of Sheffield
Southampton, Museum & Art Gallery
Stafford, Staffordshire County Council
West Riding of Yorkshire, County Council
Wigan, Drumcroon Gallery
Wiltshire Museum Services
Overseas
COLLECTIONS
United Kingdom
Birmingham, City Art Gallery
Bolton, Museum & Art Gallery
Bradford, City Art Gallery
Brighton, University of Brighton
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum
Carlisle, Museum & Art Gallery
Cleveland, Museum
Dudley, Museum & Art Gallery
Belgium, European Parliament, Brussels
Canada, Toronto Art Gallery
France, The British Embassy, Paris
Jordan, The British Council
Singapore, Capitaland Ltd
UAE, The British Council
UAE, National Bank of Dubai
UAE, Sharjah Museum
USA, Boston Museum of Fine Art
USA, Brooklyn Museum of Art
Wing Tai Enterprises Ltd, Hong Kong
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Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:12 Page 38
Acknowledgements
Paintings © Brendan Neiland 2014
Introduction © Paul Finch
Catalogue © The Redfern Gallery, Brendan Neiland 2014
Photography: Hugh Gilbert
Design: Graham Rees
7 October to 8 November 2014
Published by The Redfern Gallery, London 2014
ISBN 978-0-948460-45-6
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any other information
storage or retrieval system without
prior permission in writing from the gallery.
cover:
Gala Queen 2012 (detail)
Acrylic on canvas, 182 × 122 cm
inside front cover:
Desire 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
back cover:
Cowgirl 2012
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
right:
Señorita 2013
Acrylic on paper, 36 × 28 cm
The
Redfern
Gallery
Established 1923
38
The Redfern Gallery
20 Cork Street London W1S 3HL
Telephone 020 7734 1732/0578 Fax 020 7494 2908
art@redfern-gallery.com www.redfern-gallery.com
Brendon Neiland E Catalogue 02/10/2014 22:12 Page 40
The
Redfern
Gallery
Established 1923