Albert Irvin: Urban Journey

About

Bold in colour, fast and light in spirit is how Financial Times critic Michael Glover has described Albert Irvin's painting. Gimpel Fils is delighted to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Irvin, who continues to find energy and inspiration from the act of painting. Irvin's conversion to abstraction occurred in the mid-1950s, and since then he has been exploring the possibility that paint can conjure up profound feelings: he believes that like music, art can and does, mean and narrate everything.

Urban Journey reflects Irvin's belief that starting a new painting is like going for a walk without knowing where you are going. Anything could happen. Having lived and worked in London his whole life, Irvin's paintings embody not only the spirit and vibrancy of the city, but also its history. Brushstrokes create their own architecture, and in this latest body of work Irvin introduces us to new motifs including a curved bell shape. It is a testament to Irvin's continued commitment to exploring the possibilities of paint that overlooked details of the city can provide fresh and exciting components for his visual language.

Gimpel Fils is particularly pleased to be hosting this exhibition, which marks the 25th anniversary of Irvin's first show at the gallery. Since William Packer lamented that Albert Irvin … is under-shown and under-valued in this country, in 1978, Irvin has become one of the country's most admired artists. To celebrate his achievements, a catalogue with a new essay by Paul Moorhouse will accompany the exhibition.

Born in London in 1922, Albert Irvin attended Northampton School of Art from 1940-1941, when he began his service in the Royal Air Force. In 1946 he resumed his studies at Goldsmiths, where he subsequently became a tutor. In 1982 Gimpel Fils held its first solo exhibition of his work, and we have exhibited his work regularly ever since. The Serpentine Gallery held a major retrospective of his work in 1990, and Irvin was elected a Royal Academician in 1998, and an honorary member of the Royal West of England Academy in 1999. His work was most recently seen in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.