Nicholas Pope
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Pope British/Australian artist. He studied art at the Bath Academy of Art. In 1974 he was granted a Romania
n Government Exchange Scholarship and in 1976 the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Award.
Pope’s work from the 1970s has a powerful abstract quality that is softened by his use of natural materials, chalk and wood. His most important early shows included solo exhibitions at the Garage Gallery (1976), the Anthony Stokes Gallery (1979), and the Art & Project
Gallery in Amsterdam
(1979). In 1980 Pope represented Britain at the XXXIX Venice Biennale
.
In 1981 the Kröller-Müller Museum
in Holland mounted a retrospective of Pope’s career. In the same year, he traveled to Zimbabwe
as a British Council
Cultural Visitor.
In 1982 Pope contracted a rare form of encephalitic virus after a visit to Africa. It was undiagnosed for several years and his work was impaired due to a degree of permanent brain damage being inflicted. In 1987 Pope withdrew from the art world and abandoned his studio work. This period of inactivity continued until 1992, at which point he began producing naïve looking clay works. At this point religion and Christianity became a strong theme in his work.
Pope now lives and works in Herefordshire
. His work is included in many museum collection in Australia
, the United Kingdom
and the Netherlands
.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Government Exchange Scholarship and in 1976 the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private foundation of public utility whose statutory aims are in the fields of arts, charity, education, and science...
Award.
Pope’s work from the 1970s has a powerful abstract quality that is softened by his use of natural materials, chalk and wood. His most important early shows included solo exhibitions at the Garage Gallery (1976), the Anthony Stokes Gallery (1979), and the Art & Project
Art & Project
Art & Project was Amsterdam's leading contemporary art gallery in the 1970s and eighties, as well as the name of an influential art magazine published by the same gallery between 1968 and 1989.-The gallery:...
Gallery in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(1979). In 1980 Pope represented Britain at the XXXIX Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
.
In 1981 the Kröller-Müller Museum
Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum is an art museum and sculpture garden, located in the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo in the Netherlands.-Museum:...
in Holland mounted a retrospective of Pope’s career. In the same year, he traveled to Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
as a British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
Cultural Visitor.
In 1982 Pope contracted a rare form of encephalitic virus after a visit to Africa. It was undiagnosed for several years and his work was impaired due to a degree of permanent brain damage being inflicted. In 1987 Pope withdrew from the art world and abandoned his studio work. This period of inactivity continued until 1992, at which point he began producing naïve looking clay works. At this point religion and Christianity became a strong theme in his work.
Pope now lives and works in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. His work is included in many museum collection in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.