James Hyman Fine Art is delighted to celebrate its 50th exhibition and 25th catalogue with a major new exhibition, Museum Quality.
In celebration we have made a selection of acknowledged masterpieces and little-known rarities from the Modern British inventory of James Hyman Fine Art.
We will be exhibiting for the first time, an icon of British cultural history, Michael Andrews's huge canvas, The Colony Room Mural (1958), which was installed at the infamous Soho club from 1958-2008.
Other highlights include Frank Auerbach's masterly Head of Catherine Lampert (1989), Patrick Caulfield's classic Pop Art still-life, Three Roses (1963), Alan Davie's famous triptych Patrick's Delight (1960), and Kitaj's rare Pop Art painting, Bells of Hell (1961).
Since James Hyman Fine Art opened in 2002, its exhibition and publication programme has focused on the artists and estates represented by the gallery, as well as on significant thematic surveys based around artworks from its inventory. The gallery now works with more than twenty artists and estates and also continue to source, acquire and research significant pieces. This art historical approach has been instrumental in redefining the market for Twentieth Century British Art:
Henry Moore and the Geometry of Fear (2002) turned the spotlight back on the neglected subject of post-war British sculpture, including sculptors such as Robert Adams, Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Lynn Chadwick, Geoffrey Clarke, Eduardo Paolozzi and William Turnbull.
From Life (2003) drew attention to a figurative tradition through art school teaching, from Walter Sickert, through David Bomberg and William Coldstream, to Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossoff, Euan Uglow and beyond.
The Challenge of Post War Painting (2004) addressed the relationship between abstraction and figuration in the work of artists such as Patrick Heron, Ivon Hitchens, Peter Lanyon, Henry Moore and William Scott.
Violence and Sensation. Francis Bacon and the Remaking of Appearance (2007) coincided with the Francis Bacon retrospective at Tate Britain and presented major paintings and drawings to suggest Francis Bacon's impact from the work of Michael Andrews and Frank Auerbach to that of Tony Bevan and Hughie O'Donoghue.
Such exhibitions have led to numerous acquisitions by museums. Highlights include the purchase of rare early works of William Turnbull by the British Museum, the acquisition of Peter Lanyon's Beach Girl by the National Museum of Wales and the sale of Geoffrey Clarke's unique sculpture, The Complexities of Man, to the Tate.
Our representation of Modern British artists and estates has also led to memorable solo exhibitions of Michael Andrews, Alan Davie, Peter de Francia, Derrick Greaves, Robert Medley, Edward Middleditch and William Townsend. Other solo shows include works on paper by Francis Bacon, Tony Bevan, Lewis Chamberlain, Peter Doig, Lucian Freud, Bridget Riley and William Turnbull.
The gallery continues to grow rapidly, even in these difficult times. Its international programme now includes artists from Canada, China, Ireland, Israel, Japan and the United States. Recent shows of new paintings include Glenys Johnson (2007), Hughie O'Donoghue (2008) and Sun Liang (2008).
As the gallery expands, James Hyman Fine Art etains its commitment to sourcing and offering the highest quality Modern British Art alongside the gallery's presentation of the best international art and photography.
