Malcolm Morley
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Morley is an English
artist
now living in the United States
. He is best known as a photorealist.
. He had a troubled childhood, and did not discover art until serving a three-year stint in Wormwood Scrubs
prison
. After release, he studied art first at the Camberwell School of Arts
and then at the Royal College of Art
(1955–1957), where his fellow students included Peter Blake
and Frank Auerbach
. In 1956, he saw an exhibition of contemporary American art at the Tate Gallery
, and began to produce painting
s in an abstract expressionist style.
, met Barnett Newman
, and became influenced by him. He painted
a number of works at this time made up of only horizontal black and white bands.
He also met Andy Warhol
and Roy Lichtenstein
and, influenced in part by them, changed to a photorealist
style (Morley prefers the phrase super realist). He often used a grid to transfer photographic
s images (often of ship
s) from a variety of sources (travel brochures, calendar
s, old paintings) to canvas
as accurately as possible, and became one of the most noted photorealists.
In the 1970s, Morley's work began to be more expressionist
, and he began to incorporate collage
into his work. Many of his paintings from the mid-70s, such as Train Wreck (1975), depict "catastrophes". Later in the decade, he began to use his own earlier drawing
s and watercolours as the subject for his paintings.
In 1984, Morley won the inaugural Turner Prize
. In the 1990s he returned again to a more precise photorealist style, often reproducing images from model aeroplane kits on large canvases.
His most significant student is his ex-wife, Fran Bull
. Malcolm Morley is represented by Sperone Westwater, New York and Xavier Hufkens
, Brussels.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
now living in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is best known as a photorealist.
Early life
Morley was born in north LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He had a troubled childhood, and did not discover art until serving a three-year stint in Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. After release, he studied art first at the Camberwell School of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
and then at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
(1955–1957), where his fellow students included Peter Blake
Peter Blake (artist)
Sir Peter Thomas Blake, KBE, CBE, RDI, RA is an English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He lives in Chiswick, London, UK.-Career:...
and Frank Auerbach
Frank Auerbach
Frank Helmut Auerbach is a painter born in Germany although he has been a naturalised British citizen since 1947.-Biography:Auerbach was born in Berlin, the son of Max Auerbach, a patent lawyer, and Charlotte Nora Burchardt, who had trained as an artist...
. In 1956, he saw an exhibition of contemporary American art at the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
, and began to produce 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...
s in an abstract expressionist style.
Education & Influence
In 1958, a year after leaving the Royal College, Morley moved to New York CityNew 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...
, met Barnett Newman
Barnett Newman
Barnett Newman was an American artist. He is seen as one of the major figures in abstract expressionism and one of the foremost of the color field painters.-Early life:...
, and became influenced by him. He painted
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...
a number of works at this time made up of only horizontal black and white bands.
He also met Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
and, influenced in part by them, changed to a photorealist
Photorealism
Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using the camera and photographs to gather information and then from this information creating a painting that appears photographic...
style (Morley prefers the phrase super realist). He often used a grid to transfer photographic
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...
s images (often of ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s) from a variety of sources (travel brochures, calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
s, old paintings) to canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
as accurately as possible, and became one of the most noted photorealists.
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
, and he began to incorporate collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
into his work. Many of his paintings from the mid-70s, such as Train Wreck (1975), depict "catastrophes". Later in the decade, he began to use his own earlier 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...
s and watercolours as the subject for his paintings.
In 1984, Morley won the inaugural Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
. In the 1990s he returned again to a more precise photorealist style, often reproducing images from model aeroplane kits on large canvases.
His most significant student is his ex-wife, Fran Bull
Fran Bull
Fran Bull is an American artist living and working in the United States and Barcelona, Spain.Bull became known originally for her Photorealism paintings made in the mid 1970’s and 80’s. Among her most famous Photorealist works are Flamingo Stereopticon, Lincoln Center Reclining Figure and Winged...
. Malcolm Morley is represented by Sperone Westwater, New York and Xavier Hufkens
Xavier Hufkens
Xavier Hufkens is a European gallery owner and dealer in contemporary art. Since its founding in 1987, his gallery has been committed to the long term representation of established, mid-career and emerging artists. The gallery deals in a combination of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography,...
, Brussels.
External links
- Works by Malcolm Morley at the Hirshhorn Museum - site has moved
- Malcolm Morley at Xavier HufkensXavier HufkensXavier Hufkens is a European gallery owner and dealer in contemporary art. Since its founding in 1987, his gallery has been committed to the long term representation of established, mid-career and emerging artists. The gallery deals in a combination of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography,...
, Brussels - Exhibitions at Artfacts
- Malcolm Morley at Sperone Westwater
- Malcolm Morley in conversation with Robert Ayers, May 2009
- Malcolm Morley Biography