Douglas Swan
Connecticut (USA), 1930 - Bonn (Germania), 2000
In 1958 he won a British Council scholarship that enabled him to take a study trip to Italy.
While in Milan, the artist came into contact with the vibrant contemporary art scene, at the time led by Lucio Fontana, Roberto Crippa and Enrico Castellani.
He exhibited again at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Young Contemporaries, London Group and at the Gimpel Fils Gallery, The Hague.
From January 10 to 26, 1961, Galleria Il Milione, Milan, organized a one-man show for him, with a presentation by Francesco Arcangeli. In the following March he exhibited at the group show "Pittori d'oggi" held at the Penelope Gallery, Rome.
Starting from a wholly personal intimist figurative painting, he later shifts to a lyrical abstraction, continuing over the years the dialectic between figurative and abstract.
While in Milan, the artist came into contact with the vibrant contemporary art scene, at the time led by Lucio Fontana, Roberto Crippa and Enrico Castellani.
He exhibited again at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Young Contemporaries, London Group and at the Gimpel Fils Gallery, The Hague.
From January 10 to 26, 1961, Galleria Il Milione, Milan, organized a one-man show for him, with a presentation by Francesco Arcangeli. In the following March he exhibited at the group show "Pittori d'oggi" held at the Penelope Gallery, Rome.
Starting from a wholly personal intimist figurative painting, he later shifts to a lyrical abstraction, continuing over the years the dialectic between figurative and abstract.
He was born in the United States to Scottish parents, who, in 1936 returned to their homeland.
From 1943 to 1953 he completed his studies at Dundee College of Art where he took classes from landscape painter James MacKintosh Patrick and artist Hugh Adam Crawford. He later attended the Patrick Allan-Fraser School of Art in Hospitalfield, Arbroath, with Ian Fleming and finally finished his education at Trinity College of Music in London.
His exhibition debut is at the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1954 he was awarded its scholarship and there he met the artist William Scott (1913-1989) with whom he established a long and deep friendship. The two painted together in Somerset and Cornwall.
In 1958 he won a British Council scholarship that enabled him to take a study trip to Italy.
While in Milan, the artist came into contact with the vibrant contemporary art scene, at the time led by Lucio Fontana, Roberto Crippa and Enrico Castellani.
He exhibited again at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Young Contemporaries, London Group and at the Gimpel Fils Gallery, The Hague.
From January 10 to 26, 1961, Galleria Il Milione, Milan, organized a one-man show for him, with a presentation by Francesco Arcangeli. In the following March he exhibited at the group show "Pittori d'oggi" held at the Penelope Gallery, Rome.
Starting from a wholly personal intimist figurative painting, he later shifts to a lyrical abstraction, continuing over the years the dialectic between figurative and abstract.
He held other solo exhibitions in Oxford and Newcastle, Germany, and Switzerland, and participated in numerous group shows around the world.
For many years he lived in Angus (Carnoustie - Scotland) and several solo exhibitions were held there as well. In the late 1960s Swan moved to Switzerland with his wife Barbara where he was celebrated as one of the major abstract painters of the 20th century.
In the mid-1970s he moved to Bonn, Germany, and in 1986 was awarded the Kunststipendium des Stadt, one of the city's most important awards annually.
Douglas Swan died on June 7, 2000, as the result of a car accident.
Two years later a donation of a large amount of his works is made to the Bochum Museum, which includes them in its collection.
Major exhibitions dedicated to him:
Il collezionista d’arte moderna, 1962, Torino, Giulio Bolaffi Editore; Il collezionista d’arte moderna, 1963, Torino, Giulio Bolaffi Editore; Enciclopedia Universale Seda della pittura moderna, 1969, vol. 5
© Douglas Swan, by SIAE 2023
From 1943 to 1953 he completed his studies at Dundee College of Art where he took classes from landscape painter James MacKintosh Patrick and artist Hugh Adam Crawford. He later attended the Patrick Allan-Fraser School of Art in Hospitalfield, Arbroath, with Ian Fleming and finally finished his education at Trinity College of Music in London.
His exhibition debut is at the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1954 he was awarded its scholarship and there he met the artist William Scott (1913-1989) with whom he established a long and deep friendship. The two painted together in Somerset and Cornwall.
In 1958 he won a British Council scholarship that enabled him to take a study trip to Italy.
While in Milan, the artist came into contact with the vibrant contemporary art scene, at the time led by Lucio Fontana, Roberto Crippa and Enrico Castellani.
He exhibited again at the Royal Scottish Academy, the Young Contemporaries, London Group and at the Gimpel Fils Gallery, The Hague.
From January 10 to 26, 1961, Galleria Il Milione, Milan, organized a one-man show for him, with a presentation by Francesco Arcangeli. In the following March he exhibited at the group show "Pittori d'oggi" held at the Penelope Gallery, Rome.
Starting from a wholly personal intimist figurative painting, he later shifts to a lyrical abstraction, continuing over the years the dialectic between figurative and abstract.
He held other solo exhibitions in Oxford and Newcastle, Germany, and Switzerland, and participated in numerous group shows around the world.
For many years he lived in Angus (Carnoustie - Scotland) and several solo exhibitions were held there as well. In the late 1960s Swan moved to Switzerland with his wife Barbara where he was celebrated as one of the major abstract painters of the 20th century.
In the mid-1970s he moved to Bonn, Germany, and in 1986 was awarded the Kunststipendium des Stadt, one of the city's most important awards annually.
Douglas Swan died on June 7, 2000, as the result of a car accident.
Two years later a donation of a large amount of his works is made to the Bochum Museum, which includes them in its collection.
Major exhibitions dedicated to him:
- 1957 Hilda's College, Oxford; Gimpel Fils, London, UK; Piccadilly Gallery, London, UK; St. Hilda's College, Oxford, UK (Solo)
- 1958 Galleria Pater, Milano; Waddington Gallery, London, UK; AIA Gallery, London, UK; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, UK
- 1960 Mc Roberts & Tunnard, Londra
- 1961/63/65 Galleria del Milione, Milano
- 1961/64 Galerie Bernadi, Solothurn
- 1962 Galleria San Rocco, Seregno
- 1963 Galleria La Bussola, Torino
- 1964 Stone Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
- 1965 Galleria Penelope, Roma
- 1966 Galerie Zinnober, Solothurn
- 1967 Staadtische Kunstgalerie, Bochum
- 1968 Galerie Neue Pforte, Aachen
- 1971 Gallerie Center, Anversa, Galerie Lichter, Francoforte
- 1972/73 Galerie Nebeluna, Dusseldorf
- 1972 Galerie Reckermann, Colonia
- 1972/74/77 Galerie Kuckels, Bochum
- 1973/74 New Smith Gallery, Bruxelles
- 1973 IKI, Dusseldorf-Galerie 44, Buttgen - Galerie Marzona, Bielefeld
- 1974 Galerie Nothelfer, Berlino
- 1975 Kunstverein Heidelberg Galerie Angst und Orny, Monaco – Galerie Lowenadler, Stoccolma
- 1976 Galerie Jurka, Amsterdam - Aktionsgalerie, Bern Galerie d'art, club 44, La chaux-de-Fonds - Palais des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles
- 1977 Studio Wolf, Essen Galerie Schlegl, Zurich International Kunstmarkt, Koln Galerie Linssen, Bonn, Bonner Kunstverein
- 1978 Galerie Jollenbeck, Koln Kunstmesse Basilea - Galerie Linssen, Bonn International Kunstmarkt, Dusseldorf - Galerie Linssen, Bonn Hadenda asgse, Utrecht, Olanda - Suermondt Ludwig Museum, Aachen
- 1979 Kunstverein Braunschweig Stedelijke, Moriaan's Hertogenbosch Kunstverein, Bochum Kunstverein, Pforzheim
- 1980 Kunstkabinett, Colonia
- 1981 Kunstverein, Neunkerchen
- 1982 Galerie Frohlich, Colonia; Galerie Buning, Amburgo; Galerie Nebelung, Dusseldorf
- 1983 Saarlandsmusuem, Saarbrucken; Kunstverein Unna Studio A, Landkreis; Unna Galerie Von Borsig Prahl, Otterndorf; Grafik Kabinett, Museum Monchengladbach, Galerie Nebelung, Dusseldorf
- 1984 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgo; Galerie Hennemann, Bonn; Galleria del Cavallino, Venezia; Venedig Haus an der Redoute, Bonn
- 1985 Galerie Pro Arte, Friburgo; Kunst Verein, Melle
- 1985/86 Galerie Hennemann, Bonn
- 1986 Galerie K24, Hannover, Germany (Solo); Galerie Pro Arte, Freiburg, Germany; Painting into Air - Douglas Swan, Touring exhibition organised by Artsite Gallery, Bath (Solo)
- 1987 Kunsthalle am Hochstadenring, Bonn, Germany; Galerie K24, Hannover, Germany; Galerie Schlégl, Zürich, Switzerland
- 1984–1989 Galerie Hennemann, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 1983–1989 Galerie Hennemann, Bonn, Germany
- 1988 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh, UK; Galerie Schlégl, Zürich, Switzerland
- 1989 Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 1990 Galerie Schlegl, Zurich, Switzerland (Solo); Galerie Bernard, Solothurn, Switzerland; Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany
- 1991 Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany (Solo); Piccadilly Gallery, London, UK; Galerie Schlégl, Zürich, Switzerland
- 1992 Galerie Birgit Terbrüggen, Wehr, Baden, Germany (Solo); Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany
- 1988–1992 Galerie Pro Arte, Freiburg, Germany
- 1993 Galerie Moderne, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany; Galerie Schlegl, Zurich, Switzerland (Solo)
- 1994 Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany (Solo); Art Basel (Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany)
- 1995 Galerie K24, Hannover, Germany (Solo)
- 1999 Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 2002 Galerie Pudelko, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 2005 Galerie Hennemann, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 2008 Galerie Hintemann, Bonn, Germany (Solo)
- 2013 Modern British Abstraction, Whitford Fine Art, London UK
Il collezionista d’arte moderna, 1962, Torino, Giulio Bolaffi Editore; Il collezionista d’arte moderna, 1963, Torino, Giulio Bolaffi Editore; Enciclopedia Universale Seda della pittura moderna, 1969, vol. 5
© Douglas Swan, by SIAE 2023
