About
The Alan Cristea Gallery presents Thirteen, an exhibition featuring new works by thirteen of the gallery's most significant contemporary artists; Gillian Ayres, Christiane Baumgartner, Michael Craig-Martin, Dexter Dalwood, Ian Davenport, Marie Harnett, Howard Hodgkin, Ben Johnson, Julian Opie, Vicken Parsons, Lisa Ruyter, Paul Winstanley and Richard Woods.
Demonstrating a wide variety of artistic techniques, the show sees many of the artists building upon existing practice, resulting in works which are not merely ânew', but which represent the evolution of their creative approaches.
Artists:
A leading figure in British abstraction, Gillian Ayres produces prints and paintings which hum with colour. She is known for her vibrant palette and the sheer physicality with which she applies paint to canvas. Thirteen will feature new painting and prints by the artist.
Christiane Baumgartner is best known for the monumental woodcuts based on her own films and video stills, often dealing with themes of war, speed and industry. For Thirteen the gallery will present Storm at Sea, a large-scale print developed from World War II documentary footage of debris crashing into the sea, the imagery hovering between figuration and abstraction.
Marie Harnett's work similarly engages with film, capturing fleeting moments of on-screen emotion in delicately-executed pencil drawings. Thirteen will include a new series of drawings by the artist based on the film Populaire.
A key figure among the first generation of British conceptual artists, British artist Michael Craig-Martin will show a new work for Thirteen, representing the artist's ongoing interest in the visual language of both everyday and âart historical' objects.
Julian Opie is one of the UK's best known contemporary artists. A new series of acrylic editions referencing the traditions of equestrian art will be shown for the first time during Thirteen.
Ben Johnson is known for his detailed panoramic cityscapes and architectural paintings, made using a combination of computer-based drawing, airbrushes and stencils. A new painting will be exhibited in Thirteen, in advance of his solo exhibition at the gallery next year.
Considered to be one of Britain's most significant painters, Howard Hodgkin is also known for his prints, often executed on an enormous scale. Thirteen includes a new large-scale hand-painted print by the artist.
Ian Davenport is renowned for his exploration into the nature of materials and colour. In Thirteen the gallery will be showing works from a series of new etchings orchestrating combinations of fluid lines of colour which pool to form puddles at the bottom of the composition.
Richard Woods is known for his 'architectural interventions', which see him re-surface existing structures in an absurdist response to the cults of DIY and home improvement. Thirteen will feature a new site-specific work by the artist.
Thirteen will include a 2.5m wide semi-abstract painting by American artist Lisa Ruyter. Ruyter's work always starts from her photography, which is resolved into line drawings.
Vicken Parsons produces small, intimate paintings executed in fine layers of oil on board. Thirteen will include three new paintings by the artist.
The exhibition will include recent work by Dexter Dalwood. His drawings, paintings, and prints stem from intricate small-scale collages which he then reworks into larger pieces, often re-imagining scenes from pop culture and modern history. Dalwood was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2010.
Thirteen will also feature a previously unexhibited painting by Paul Winstanley from his âArt School' series. For this series Winstanley spent two summers documenting the empty studios of all of the art schools in the UK.
Late night opening (part of Frieze's West End Night): Thursday 17 October from 6pm
