Impressions in Colour

Gillian Ayres (1930 – 2018) was a British painter and printmaker known for her bright abstract works, inspired by Jackson Pollock and Henri Matisse. Ayres began studying art at the age of 16 at Camberwell College of Arts and Craft and had her first solo show in 1956 at Gallery One, London, she continued working and became recognised as one of the leading female artists of her time. As well as original paintings she created many prints throughout her career working in multiple mediums such as etching, woodcut and monoprints. Throughout her career Ayres held multiple solo shows in the UK and internationally, her works are held in multiple prestigious institutions including Tate, the British Museum and Museum of Fine Art, Boston, she was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1989.

Michael Craig-Martin (b. 1941) is an Irish born artist who went on to study in America before returning to the UK where he had his first solo show in 1969. He is thought of as a key figure among artists of his generation, as well as a huge influence on younger British artists through his career teaching at Goldsmiths. He is considered a key figure in nurturing the YBAs such as Damien Hirst, Gareth Hume and Sarah Lucas. Over his 50 year career he has developed an original and easily identifiable style using a vast range of objects as his unique visual vocabulary. Craig-Martin’s works blurs the line between design and art and raises the everyday item to the iconic. Craig-Martin was knighted in 2016, elected to the RA in 2006 and has work in international collections such as Victoria and Albert Museum, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and Harvard University Art Museum.

Ian Davenport (b. 1966) graduated from Goldsmiths College of Art in 1988, where he studied under Michael Craig-Martin and went on to be the youngest ever Turner Prize nominee in 1991. He is known for his abstract paintings in which he pours coloured paint down a surface. More recently in his career Davenport has begun making screenprints and etchings which provide a more graphic result. He has been part of many international exhibitions and commissions including Poured Lines: Southwark Street, London (2006) as well as the 2017 Venice Biennale and had a residency at The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. He has works in many collections including the Tate, Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Howard Hodgkin (1932 - 2017) was a British artist working in both painting and printmaking. He began using the printing medium in the 1950s and this continued for the rest of his artistic career going on to later favour etching combined with hand painting. Although Hodgkin’s works are abstract, they were often inspired by memories and experiences, however he chose to represent these through evocative mark making rather than through illustration. He had his first major retrospective at Modern Art Oxford 1976 and went on to have several international exhibitions including in New York and Madrid. Hodgkin won the Turner Prize in 1985 and represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in the same year. He was knighted in 1992. Hodgkin’s paintings and prints are held in some of the world’s most esteemed galleries and institutions including Tate, Metropolitan Museum New York, and Museum of Modern Art New York.