Bryan Wynter
Londra, 1915-1975
Bryan Wynter was one of the St. Ives group of British painters. He was apparently the face of a new generation that would develop Surrealism into something more human and mature, systematically adopting automatist practices and arriving at the definition of a more abstract and dynamic style.
Bryan Herbert Wynter was a member of the British group of St. Ives painters.
Born in London, in 1933 he began working as an apprentice in the family business; later, in 1937-38 he studied at the Westminster School of Art and in 1938-40 at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and Oxford.
In 1945 he settled in Cornwall at Zennor, near St Ives.
In this city, he dedicated himself to painting typical subjects of the area on small scale gouache and watercolor: seagulls, fishing boats combined with the characteristic rugged and bare landscape.
Despite the difficulties in pursuing his art during the war, Wynter had already begun to build a reputation; he was apparently the face of a new generation that would develop Surrealism into something more human and mature, by systematically adopting automatistic practices. This led to a performance at the Redfern Gallery in London in 1947, while between 1951 and 1956 he taught at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham.
In this period, although initially working in a figurative sense, he developed a dynamic and more abstract style, carrying out several experiments with mescaline. His works are no longer on small-scale, but Wynter adopts, develops and maintains for the rest of his career a much larger format.
In 1962 he experimented for a while the kinetic art, creating constructions that he called IMOOS (Images moving from space), before returning to painting in the last decade of his life.
In 2016 his painting In the Streams Path, 1958, sold for £131,000 (Sotheby’s, November 2016). This work was purchased by David Bowie at the sale of Sir John Moores’ collection in 1995.
Among the most important exhibitions he partecipated there are: “Recent acquisitions” at Moma of New York (December 1959 - January 1960) and “Bryan Wynter: A Selected Retrospective”, (2001), at Tate St Ives, Cornwall,.
Museums:
London, Victoria and Albert Museum
Glasgow, Scotland
Government Art Collection, United Kingdom
Leeds (Leeds City Art Gallery), West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Edinburgh (Scottish National Gallery)
Southampton (City Art Gallery)
London (Tate Gallery)
York (Art Gallery)
Arts Council of Great Britain
London, British Council
Bibliography:
Bird, Michael, A Stream Finds its Way: Painting and Process', Bryan Wynter: Centenary Exhibition (exhib. cat., Jonathan Clark Fine Art, London, 2015);
Bird, Michael, Bryan Wynter. Lund Humphries (2010);
Bryan Wynter 1915-1975: catalogue of an exhibition 16 October – 15 November 2002, introduction by Mel Gooding. Jonathan Clark Fine Art, London, 2002;
Bryan Wynter (St.Ives Artists series) by Chris Stephens. Tate Gallery Publishing (1999).
Born in London, in 1933 he began working as an apprentice in the family business; later, in 1937-38 he studied at the Westminster School of Art and in 1938-40 at the Slade School of Fine Art in London and Oxford.
In 1945 he settled in Cornwall at Zennor, near St Ives.
In this city, he dedicated himself to painting typical subjects of the area on small scale gouache and watercolor: seagulls, fishing boats combined with the characteristic rugged and bare landscape.
Despite the difficulties in pursuing his art during the war, Wynter had already begun to build a reputation; he was apparently the face of a new generation that would develop Surrealism into something more human and mature, by systematically adopting automatistic practices. This led to a performance at the Redfern Gallery in London in 1947, while between 1951 and 1956 he taught at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham.
In this period, although initially working in a figurative sense, he developed a dynamic and more abstract style, carrying out several experiments with mescaline. His works are no longer on small-scale, but Wynter adopts, develops and maintains for the rest of his career a much larger format.
In 1962 he experimented for a while the kinetic art, creating constructions that he called IMOOS (Images moving from space), before returning to painting in the last decade of his life.
In 2016 his painting In the Streams Path, 1958, sold for £131,000 (Sotheby’s, November 2016). This work was purchased by David Bowie at the sale of Sir John Moores’ collection in 1995.
Among the most important exhibitions he partecipated there are: “Recent acquisitions” at Moma of New York (December 1959 - January 1960) and “Bryan Wynter: A Selected Retrospective”, (2001), at Tate St Ives, Cornwall,.
Museums:
London, Victoria and Albert Museum
Glasgow, Scotland
Government Art Collection, United Kingdom
Leeds (Leeds City Art Gallery), West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Edinburgh (Scottish National Gallery)
Southampton (City Art Gallery)
London (Tate Gallery)
York (Art Gallery)
Arts Council of Great Britain
London, British Council
Bibliography:
Bird, Michael, A Stream Finds its Way: Painting and Process', Bryan Wynter: Centenary Exhibition (exhib. cat., Jonathan Clark Fine Art, London, 2015);
Bird, Michael, Bryan Wynter. Lund Humphries (2010);
Bryan Wynter 1915-1975: catalogue of an exhibition 16 October – 15 November 2002, introduction by Mel Gooding. Jonathan Clark Fine Art, London, 2002;
Bryan Wynter (St.Ives Artists series) by Chris Stephens. Tate Gallery Publishing (1999).
