A solo exhibition celebrating the work of the painter iconic British abstract artist Robyn Denny is to be presented across galleries in Newlyn and Penzance this autumn.
Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange will be holding a retrospective of works by Denny, one of an internationally acclaimed group who transformed British art in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, leading it into the international mainstream, whose resolutely urban, largescale
abstract paintings captured the cool, modernising mood of the time.
He graduated from RCA in 1957, and within a decade was enjoying considerable international success, alongside his contemporaries Howard Hodgkin, Bridget Riley, Peter Blake and David Hockney. In 1966 he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale with Anthony Caro, Bernard Cohen, Harold Cohen and Richard Smith and at the time of his 1973 Tate retrospective he was the youngest artist to be so honoured.
The exhibition is a celebration of the work of an artist key to British abstraction, who kept his eye firmly on America and his London
contemporaries.
This exhibition, concurrently presented at both west Cornwall galleries, offers an in-depth understanding of the evolution of his work over five decades and an exploration of the importance and contemporary relevance of his work. The exhibition will draw attention to later works, dating from the early 1980s and beyond, which have rarely been presented publicly before.
It will coincide with the launch of Tate St Ives’ expanded galleries this October, enabling them to tell the story of a lyrical form of British abstraction, rooted in the landscape of West Penwith, which emerged during the pre- and post-war periods. In contrast, the Robyn Denny exhibition in Newlyn and Penzance will explore the development of an equally important urban abstraction that emerged from the late 1950s, concurrently, but largely independent of developments in St Ives. The exhibition will therefore lead to a deeper and
more nuanced understanding of the importance of British abstraction in the period.
The Robyn Denny retrospective will be at Newlyn Art Gallery from September 23 to January 6 and at The Exchange from October 7 to January 6, with an opening event at The Exchange on Saturday, October 15 from 1 to 3pm.
For information call 01736 363715, email info@newlynartgallery.co.uk or visit newlynartgallery.co.uk
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