John Plumb British, 1927-2008
Untitled, 1960
Oil and tape on hardboard
122 x 122 cm
Signed and dated verso
JPC Inventory Number P7/623
JPC Inventory Number P7/623
A groundbreaking British abstract painter, Plumb is known for his bold, handsome, and colourful compositions. The use of coloured adhesive tapes was crucial in his development. They could be applied...
A groundbreaking British abstract painter, Plumb is known for his bold, handsome, and colourful compositions. The use of coloured adhesive tapes was crucial in his development. They could be applied to the canvas and as easily removed and reapplied until the right position and combination was achieved. Plumb's work already reflected an admiration for American colour field and hard-edged painting, though it was never imitative and was always developing. The tapes soon disappeared, replaced by bold, hard-edged shapes interrupted in places by marks imitating broad, gestural brushstrokes and by the mid-1960s Plumb was producing large fields of a single colour. Plumb had his first one-man exhibition at Gallery One in 1957. He subsequently showed at Marlborough and Axiom Galleries, followed by solo exhibitions throughout the UK, including Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol and group exhibitions including Hayward Gallery and Tate Britain in London, 2004. He became Senior Lecturer in Painting at the Central School of Art and Design, London 1969-1982.
Provenance
Collection of Peter Cochrane, London.