John Blackburn British, 1932-2022

John Blackburn (1932–2022) was a British abstract painter whose work is distinguished by its richly textured surfaces, material experimentation, and emotional intensity. Using layered pigment, wax, and raw, often repurposed materials, he developed a striking visual language that balanced structure and spontaneity.

Blackburn spent a formative decade in New Zealand following his service in the Royal Air Force, producing some of the most radical painting in Auckland during the late 1950s. He was recognised early by Colin McCahon, who selected him for the landmark Ten Auckland Painters exhibition at the Auckland City Art Gallery in 1959. Despite this, his contribution remains largely absent from formal narratives of New Zealand art history. Blackburn returned to England in 1961, where he continued to paint prolifically until 1980. A renewed interest in his practice emerged in the early 2000s when early works acquired by noted British collector Jim Ede (Kettle’s Yard) were rediscovered. This led to significant exhibitions at the Metropole Galleries in 2006 and Osborne Samuel Gallery, London, who represented him until his death.

ARTIS Gallery has represented Blackburn since 2009, presenting annual exhibitions of his work for over sixteen years. Since his passing in 2022, we have continued to work closely with the artist’s family to share his powerful and uncompromising body of work with New Zealand audiences — work that continues to resonate for its raw materiality, lyrical abstraction, and enduring clarity of vision.