Brian Wood (artist)
Encyclopedia
Brian Wood is a visual artist working with multiple media in photography
, painting
, drawing
and printmaking
in New York City.
and grew up on a family farm in northern Saskatchewan (Brancepeth). He received a B.A.
from the University of Saskatchewan
in 1969, in math
, physics
and literature
. Shortly after receiving this degree he moved to New York City
and made paintings.
During the next few years, he traveled and worked in Europe
, spending much of his time in Greece
. Wood made his first painting commission for Lord Byron's Chambers in The Albany
in London in 1972 and exhibited his first prints at Redfern Gallery, London. Returning to New York, Wood began attending graduate school at Hunter College, where he studied painting from 1972 to 1975. While studying, he worked as a studio assistant to the painters Adolph Gottlieb
and Ralph Humphrey, and received an M.A.
in Studio Art from Hunter College
. At Hunter, he met Hollis Frampton
and began working in film
. He also met Michael Snow
and crewed on Snow's film Rameau's Nephew (based on Denis Diderot's
1762 text Le Neveu de Rameau]. Wood made his first films Clearview and Fixt in 1974-1975. Clearview was first screened at Film Forum
in New York in 1975.
Wood's early work was influenced by Hollis Frampton and Michael Snow, and like them, he continued his explorations in multiple media. In 1976 Wood developed his ideas in works constructed of multiple photographs. His very early photographic pieces, "Facing", 1976 (Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art
, NYC) and "Array", 1977 (Collection: Museum of Modern Art
, NYC) were first exhibited in 1978 at the Whitney Museum (Downtown), New York. Galerie Marielle Mailhot, Montreal, gave Wood his first solo show of photographs in 1979, soon followed by several solo museum exhibitions in Canada, and Ydessa Hendeles did a solo Wood exhibition in Toronto in 1980. The Canada Council
first awarded Arts Grants to Brian Wood in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982.
John Szarkowski
, Chief Curator of Photography, began collecting Wood's work for the Museum of Modern Art
, New York, in 1979, installing his photo-construction "Array", 1977 in the permanent galleries where it remained on permanent exhibition until into the 90's. "Array" and other works remain in the permanent collection. MoMA exhibited Wood's work in their 1982 traveling exhibition (and book) "Twentieth Century Photographs from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art", "Big Pictures by Contemporary Photographers" in 1983 and "Color Photographs: Recent Acquisitions" in 1984. MoMA included Wood's work in the book "The Museum of Modern Art: The History and the Collection", introduction by Sam Hunter, Abrams
, 1984. "Multiple Images:Photographs since 1965 from the Collection" included Wood in 1993 and his work appears in MoMA's 2002 book "Walker Evans & Company" by curator Peter Galassi.
During the 1980s Wood exhibited paintings, drawings and photographs in many gallery and museum exhibitions in the United States and internationally. In 1984 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts
Fellowship. The Brooklyn Museum
showed wood in "Color in the Summer" and work entered their collection as his work also entered other museum collections such as the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
, Ottawa, Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
, Art Gallery of Hamilton, and many others.
Brian Wood was awarded a John SimonGuggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1999 in two categories, photography and graphics, recognizing his work in print-making as well as photography.
Wood's works are in the permanent collections of:
Museum of Modern Art
,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
,
Brooklyn Museum
, and
New York Public Library
, New York;
the Corcoran Gallery of Art
, Washington, D.C.
;
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
;
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston;
the Davis Museum, Wellesley;
the Tampa Museum of Art
, Florida
;
the Museum Ludwig
, Cologne
;
the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of Modern Art, Prague
;
the National Gallery of Canada
,
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
,
and Artbank
, Ottawa
;
the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario;
the Mendel Art Gallery
, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan;
the Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, British Columbia
;
and the Concordia Art Gallery,
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
, and
Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal
.
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
in New York City.
Biography
Brian Wood was born in central SaskatchewanSaskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and grew up on a family farm in northern Saskatchewan (Brancepeth). He received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in 1969, in math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. Shortly after receiving this degree he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and made paintings.
During the next few years, he traveled and worked in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, spending much of his time in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Wood made his first painting commission for Lord Byron's Chambers in The Albany
The Albany
The Albany or Albany is an apartment complex in Piccadilly, London.-Building:...
in London in 1972 and exhibited his first prints at Redfern Gallery, London. Returning to New York, Wood began attending graduate school at Hunter College, where he studied painting from 1972 to 1975. While studying, he worked as a studio assistant to the painters Adolph Gottlieb
Adolph Gottlieb
Adolph Gottlieb was an American abstract expressionist painter, sculptor and graphic artist.-Biography:Gottlieb was born in New York to Jewish parents. From 1920-1921 he studied at the Art Students League of New York, after which he traveled in France and Germany for a year...
and Ralph Humphrey, and received an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Studio Art from Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
. At Hunter, he met Hollis Frampton
Hollis Frampton
Hollis Frampton was an American avant-garde filmmaker, photographer, writer/theoretician, and pioneer of digital art.-Early years:Frampton was born March 11, 1936 in Wooster, Ohio...
and began working in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He also met Michael Snow
Michael Snow
Michael Snow, CC is a Canadian artist working in painting, sculpture, video, films, photography, holography, drawing, books and music.-Life:...
and crewed on Snow's film Rameau's Nephew (based on Denis Diderot's
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
1762 text Le Neveu de Rameau]. Wood made his first films Clearview and Fixt in 1974-1975. Clearview was first screened at Film Forum
Film Forum
Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater located at 209 West Houston Street in New York City. It began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a US$19,000 annual budget. Karen Cooper became director in 1972 and under her leadership,...
in New York in 1975.
Wood's early work was influenced by Hollis Frampton and Michael Snow, and like them, he continued his explorations in multiple media. In 1976 Wood developed his ideas in works constructed of multiple photographs. His very early photographic pieces, "Facing", 1976 (Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, NYC) and "Array", 1977 (Collection: Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, NYC) were first exhibited in 1978 at the Whitney Museum (Downtown), New York. Galerie Marielle Mailhot, Montreal, gave Wood his first solo show of photographs in 1979, soon followed by several solo museum exhibitions in Canada, and Ydessa Hendeles did a solo Wood exhibition in Toronto in 1980. The Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
first awarded Arts Grants to Brian Wood in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982.
John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski was a photographer, curator, historian, and critic. From 1962 to 1991 Szarkowski was the Director of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art.-Early life and career:...
, Chief Curator of Photography, began collecting Wood's work for the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York, in 1979, installing his photo-construction "Array", 1977 in the permanent galleries where it remained on permanent exhibition until into the 90's. "Array" and other works remain in the permanent collection. MoMA exhibited Wood's work in their 1982 traveling exhibition (and book) "Twentieth Century Photographs from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art", "Big Pictures by Contemporary Photographers" in 1983 and "Color Photographs: Recent Acquisitions" in 1984. MoMA included Wood's work in the book "The Museum of Modern Art: The History and the Collection", introduction by Sam Hunter, Abrams
Abrams
Abrams may refer to:* Abrams * Abrams v. United States 250 U.S. 616 , U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war* M1 Abrams, main battle tank* Abrams, Wisconsin, U.S. town...
, 1984. "Multiple Images:Photographs since 1965 from the Collection" included Wood in 1993 and his work appears in MoMA's 2002 book "Walker Evans & Company" by curator Peter Galassi.
During the 1980s Wood exhibited paintings, drawings and photographs in many gallery and museum exhibitions in the United States and internationally. In 1984 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Fellowship. The Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
showed wood in "Color in the Summer" and work entered their collection as his work also entered other museum collections such as the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is an gallery of Canada's best art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada, it is housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa.The roots of the collection reach...
, Ottawa, Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
, Art Gallery of Hamilton, and many others.
Brian Wood was awarded a John SimonGuggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1999 in two categories, photography and graphics, recognizing his work in print-making as well as photography.
Work
James Casebere writesWood's works are in the permanent collections of:
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
,
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, and
New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, New York;
the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
;
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
;
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston;
the Davis Museum, Wellesley;
the Tampa Museum of Art
Tampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art is located in Downtown Tampa, Florida. The museum exhibits 20th-century fine art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. It opened in 1979 on the banks of Hillsborough River.- Museum History :...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
;
the Museum Ludwig
Museum Ludwig
Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from PopArt, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It also features many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein....
, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
;
the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Museum of Modern Art, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
;
the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
,
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is an gallery of Canada's best art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada, it is housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa.The roots of the collection reach...
,
and Artbank
Artbank
Artbank is an art rental program established in 1980 by the Australian Government. It supports contemporary Australian artists and encourages a wider appreciation of their work by buying artworks which it then rents to public and private sector clients. It was modeled on the Canadian Art Bank,...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
;
the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario;
the Mendel Art Gallery
Mendel Art Gallery
The Mendel Art Gallery is a major creative cultural centre in City Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, opened in 1964. Housing a permanent collection of works of local, regional and national significance, the Mendel is also known for its public programs for all ages. Its current executive director and...
, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan;
the Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
;
and the Concordia Art Gallery,
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
, and
Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Additional sources
- Lehman, Henry. The Montreal Star, Canada, 3/15/79
- Viau, Rene. Le Devoir, Montreal, Canada, 3/17/79
- Nixon, Virginia. La Presse, Montreal, Canada, 3/79