Brendan Neiland
Encyclopedia
Professor Brendan Neiland (born 23 October 1941 in Lichfield
, Staffordshire
) is an English artist best known for his paintings of reflections in modern city buildings. In 1992 he was elected into the Royal Academy
(RA).
Professor Neiland's interpretations of city life have gained him a reputation as one of Britain's foremost painters and printmakers. His use of light and pictorial structure, using a spray-gun technique developed at the Royal College of Art, has seen Neiland likened to Georges Braque and Johannes Vermeer. His work is widely exhibited and is featured in the collections of the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 1998 Neiland was appointed Keeper (Director) of the Royal Academy Schools, and was credited with revitalising what had been a struggling art school. In July 2004 he resigned as Keeper following newspaper reports concerning financial irregularities. Neiland was subsequently expelled from the membership following a vote by Royal Academicians. Neiland is the first artist to be stripped of his membership since James Barry
in 1799.
It was reported that Neiland had been contributing his own consultancy earnings and funds he had raised independently towards the operation of the Royal Academy Schools. In doing so Neiland had not observed the budgetary discipline and financial controls required by the organisation. Neiland later said he had set aside the missing money, the fruit of his own fundraising efforts, to protect it from being sucked into a general RA fund. Other commentators speculated that his expulsion was connected to an internal power struggle over the governance of the RA.
Fellow Academician Peter Blake resigned from the Academy in protest at Neiland's expulsion.
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
) is an English artist best known for his paintings of reflections in modern city buildings. In 1992 he was elected into the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
(RA).
Professor Neiland's interpretations of city life have gained him a reputation as one of Britain's foremost painters and printmakers. His use of light and pictorial structure, using a spray-gun technique developed at the Royal College of Art, has seen Neiland likened to Georges Braque and Johannes Vermeer. His work is widely exhibited and is featured in the collections of the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 1998 Neiland was appointed Keeper (Director) of the Royal Academy Schools, and was credited with revitalising what had been a struggling art school. In July 2004 he resigned as Keeper following newspaper reports concerning financial irregularities. Neiland was subsequently expelled from the membership following a vote by Royal Academicians. Neiland is the first artist to be stripped of his membership since James Barry
James Barry (painter)
James Barry , Irish painter, best remembered for his six part series of paintings entitled The Progress of Human Culture in the Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts...
in 1799.
It was reported that Neiland had been contributing his own consultancy earnings and funds he had raised independently towards the operation of the Royal Academy Schools. In doing so Neiland had not observed the budgetary discipline and financial controls required by the organisation. Neiland later said he had set aside the missing money, the fruit of his own fundraising efforts, to protect it from being sucked into a general RA fund. Other commentators speculated that his expulsion was connected to an internal power struggle over the governance of the RA.
Fellow Academician Peter Blake resigned from the Academy in protest at Neiland's expulsion.