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| STYLE: Painting |
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At the time of his return to Britain in 1961, after eight years in New
Zealand, John Blackburn was arguably the most radical painter working
in Auckland. Yet there is not a paragraph in New Zealand art history
about him.
The only contemporary reference to him is his
inclusion as one of ten artists at the Auckland City Art Gallery in
November 1959. The artists were probably selected by Colin McCahon, who
might have spotted Blackburn’s work at his first solo exhibition at
Auckland’s short-lived Circle Gallery.
The late Les Harvey,
renowned for the developments that helped to make Parnell what it is
today, was impressed enough by the exhibition at Circle Gallery to buy
several paintings. A couple of years later, in 1961, Blackburn showed
some uncompromisingly abstract paintings. Harvey, recognising
Blackburn’s promise, acquired the whole exhibition in exchange for
tickets to Britain for the young artist - and his wife Maude – so he
could further his career.
From his return to Britain in 1961
until his last solo exhibition before changing his focus to a business
venture in 1980, Blackburn was an adventurous and exciting full-time
painter. His first London exhibition was at the Woodstock Gallery which
in the late 1950s and early 1960s developed a strong identity with the
progressive painting coming out of St Ives.
Indeed Blackburn’s
lyrical abstract paintings of simple, reduced strong forms in limited
pure, unmixed colours, could easily be appreciated in the context of
the work of that earlier generation of stars of the British art scene
at that time.
It was the chance discovery of some of
Blackburn’s works acquired in the 1960s by the renowned collector,
curator and writer, Jim Ede, which led to renewed interest in the
artist. So after an absence of quarter of a century, Blackburn was
re-launched back into the art world with a full-scale retrospective,
including striking large new works, at Folkstone’s Metropole Galleries
in 2006, followed by an exhibition at the prestigious Mayfair gallery
of Osborne Samuel in London.
The Harvey family’s continuing
interest in the work of Blackburn led to an offer from Nancy King,
Harvey’s daughter, of accommodation and a studio at Muriwai. Blackburn
took up the offer in 2008, producing work for his first exhibition in
Auckland since the 1960s. Artis Gallery is proud to welcome John back
to Parnell after all these years. |
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| Past Exhibitions |
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| Back After All These Years |
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| Works on Paper |
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| Publications |
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