'At a certain time in my life the world as I saw it flattened for me - things, objects flattened.. It was not Cézanne's flatness, neither was it Cubism, "hermetic" or "synthetic". It was mine - I hadn't looked for it - how could you? The best figurative art pulls itself inevitably towards the abstract'
Derrick Greaves, from an unpublished notebook entry
Following a series of acclaimed exhibitions of paintings by Derrick Greaves at James Hyman Fine Art, this is the first time the gallery has presented an exhibition comprising solely of works on paper to highlight the foundation of the artist's practice.
Flatworld presents a selection of recent prints and drawings by Derrick Greaves to provide an insight into the evolution of his work since the publication of a major book on the artist in Spring 2007. At the heart of the exhibition are three new suites of prints entitled Woodland Birds, Artificial Flowers and Jump. The exhibition spotlights Greaves's extraordinary vitality and also the way that the artist has once more reassessed his priorities to push his work in fresh directions.
Derrick Greaves (b.1927) is one of the most popular and important British painters and draftsmen of the last half century. Greaves initially gained acclaim in the 1950s, when he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale along with the other 'Kitchen-Sink' painters with whom he was initially associated: John Bratby, Edward Middleditch and Jack Smith. Despite this early acclaim, Greaves swiftly moved from the social realism of the 1950s to a more heraldic style that paralleled 1960s Pop Art. Since that period he has continued to develop his imagery combining sophistication with humour and voluptuousness with refinement. Derrick Greaves is represented by James Hyman Fine Art, London.
