John Hoyland (b.1934 Sheffield, UK – d.2011 London, UK) was one of the most inventive and dynamic abstract painters of the post-war period. Over the span of more than a half-century his art and attitudes constantly evolved. A distinctive artistic personality emerged, concerned with colour, painterly drama, with both excess and control, with grandeur and above all, with the vehement communication of feeling. Collected here is a selection of Hoyland’s work showing his progression from the hard-edge works of the early 1960s through to the intensely subjective paintings that marked his final decade
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“Painting should be a seismograph of the person.”
John Hoyland, 2006
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“There is no place for cynicism, only joy, passion and wonderment, clarity and eagerness.”
John Hoyland, Tate Gallery talk, 1994
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“Painting is the will and the whole self in harmony, without self-deception.”
John Hoyland, Tate Gallery talk, 1994
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“Paintings are there to be experienced, they are events.”
John Hoyland, 1979
Relentless Rhythm : Prints from the 80s and 90s
13 October – 14 November 2021 Dramatic prints from a dynamic period of Hoyland’s work. The exhibition explores how Hoyland drew inspiration from the world around him and how print-making allowed a restless and fast-moving approach to the creation and re-creation of images. Includes rare works, and overpainted prints. 13 …
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John Hoyland : The Last Paintings – Ridinghouse
This richly illustrated publication explores the paintings made in the last decade of Hoyland’s life, including his final series The Mysteries. Essays by Natalie Adamson, David Anfam, Matthew Collings and the late Mel Gooding discuss his veneration of Van Gogh, his connections to Turner and his development of the visual language …
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John Hoyland : Flames Like Rainbows. Hales London.
1 April – 15 May 2022 This debut show with Hales focuses on paintings from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s — a key period in Hoyland’s oeuvre, marking a departure from pure abstraction, allowing the outside world to enter his art. Flames Like Rainbows exhibits paintings greatly influenced by …
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Catalogue raisonné
If you own a painting by John Hoyland then please let us know. We’re compiling a complete catalogue of his paintings and need your help to track down those works in private hands.
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In the studio
Take a virtual tour of Hoyland’s sketchbooks and scrapbooks to find out more about how he worked.
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Spotlight on the archive
Read a fascinating interview from 1978 which reveals how Hoyland chose to deal with the legacy of Rothko
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'Green was often pitted against red, almost with the ceremonial weight of a tournament.' Bryan Robertson on John Hoyland's paintings of the 1960s. 20.12.66, 1966, 78 x 144 inches, acrylic on canvas instagram.com/p/ChXCJLhs-9e/ pic.twitter.com/pziWs1sTTG
