William Brickel

About

England to many men has different meanings. To different men it means different things. Men—and women—see their country, its fields, its towns, its villages, its woods and hills, its roads, its rivers, its sea, with eyes that look for and find varying aspects, to carry varying messages to the brain. For each, while the background remains the same, there emerges a separate English scene... To each his separate memories; to each an individual view of the English scene.

— Eric Parker in John Moore, ‘The Countrymans England’, 1939. Published by Seeley Service & Co. p.9–10.

The Artist Room presents a solo exhibition of works by William Brickel. The artist’s largest solo exhibition in the United Kingdom to date, included are new paintings, watercolours, charcoals, and drawings ranging from intimate to large scale.

Brickel's latest body of work conveys a raw experience of growing up in the British countryside. On view are new paintings of enigmatic male figures located in ambigous settings. From green pastoral landscapes to darker interior settings, the works on view continue Brickel’s investigation into formative human experiences and the inner psyche.

Writing on Brickel’s approach in Frieze, Sam Moore has observed how ‘in charcoal, oil paint and watercolour, Brickel avoids naturalism: oversized hands and limbs contort into impossible positions. The strangeness of these men and the apparent power of their desires give the works an unusual kind of beauty; there’s gravitas in both the lingering memory of another’s touch and the intimate act of reaching out to catch someone as they fall.’

NOTES TO EDITORS

William Brickel (b.1994) lives and works in Gloucestershire, UK. In 2018, Brickel graduated with an MA from London’s Royal Drawing School. Prior to that, Brickel completed a BA in Photography at Camberwell College of Art, London. Residencies include Palazzo Monti Artist Residency, Brescia, Italy (2019); and Borgo Pingnano, Pisa, Italy (2018).

Recent solo exhibitions include Far From Anything, The Artist Room, London, UK (2022); I’d Tell You If I Could, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, California, USA (2021–22); I’d Tell You If I Could, Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA (2021); and Countrymen, ltd, Los Angeles, California, USA (2020). Recent group exhibitions include Material Impression: Artists & Paper, Larsen Warner, Stockholm, Sweden (2022–23); Love is the Devil: Studies after Francis Bacon, Marlborough, London, UK (2022); and IRL (In Real Life), Timothy Taylor, London, UK (2021).

Brickel’s work resides in prominent institutional collections including Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California, USA; The Prince of Wales, Royal Collection Trust, London, UK; and X Museum, Beijing, China.