Alexander de Cadenet
Encyclopedia
Alexander de Cadenet is a British artist working in various media: predominantly painting, photography and sculpture. He defines his work as an exploration into the mysteries of life and the enigma of 'Art'.
and his father is racing driver Alain de Cadenet
. After his parents' divorce, he was brought up by his mother Anna.
He was educated at Harrow School
, where he won the Lincoln-Seligmann Art Prize in 1992. That same year he had a brief stint as a presenter on the Channel 4
television programme The Word
, on which his sister had previously worked as a presenter from 1990-1991. In 1995, he curated Liberty a show of art by prisoners and special hospital patients, selected from the Koestler Awards Scheme. In 1996 he graduated with a B.A. from The Courtauld Institute of Art.
In Movements in Art since 1945, Edward Lucie-Smith referred to the “series of celebrity portraits, which are x-rays of the heads of his [Alexander de Cadenet’s] subjects’.Time Out wrote that, ‘”Alexander de Cadenet has given this pseudo-science [of phrenology] a post-pop spin”
In 2005, de Cadenet was given permission by the American Archives in Washington D.C. to use the original x-ray taken of Adolf Hitler in 1944. This x-ray formed the basis of his work The Portrait of Adolf Hitler. The Guardian commented that the work, “is likely to provoke accusations of sensationalism”.
In 2008, artist Damien Hirst
presented at Other Criteria Gallery, his own Self-Portrait in the same manner as de Cadenet’s x-ray skull portraits.
In 2009, de Cadenet published The Muse, a book of his poetry and mobile phone photos. The Muse was intended by de Cadenet as an insight into the nature of creative inspiration.
Life
De Cadenet was born and raised in Chelsea, London and continues to live and work there. His sister is television presenter and photographer Amanda de CadenetAmanda de Cadenet
-Biography:De Cadenet is the daughter of racing car driver Alain de Cadenet. She began her career as a co-presenter for The Word, a late-night Channel 4 magazine show. She also co-hosted The Big Breakfast....
and his father is racing driver Alain de Cadenet
Alain de Cadenet
Alain de Cadenet is an on air personality for the Speed Channel and ESPN. The British-born de Cadenet has hosted many shows on SPEED, including Legends of Motorsport, as well as the network's coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed...
. After his parents' divorce, he was brought up by his mother Anna.
He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, where he won the Lincoln-Seligmann Art Prize in 1992. That same year he had a brief stint as a presenter on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television programme The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
, on which his sister had previously worked as a presenter from 1990-1991. In 1995, he curated Liberty a show of art by prisoners and special hospital patients, selected from the Koestler Awards Scheme. In 1996 he graduated with a B.A. from The Courtauld Institute of Art.
Skull portraits
Since 1996, de Cadenet has been exhibiting successive series of photographic "skull portraits", based on x-rays of his subjects' skulls. These include: Atmosphere 1996; Models 1998; Celebrities 1999; Religious Subjects 2000; British Spies 2003 and Historical Subjects 2005. Each new series reveals an evolution of format and presentation.In Movements in Art since 1945, Edward Lucie-Smith referred to the “series of celebrity portraits, which are x-rays of the heads of his [Alexander de Cadenet’s] subjects’.Time Out wrote that, ‘”Alexander de Cadenet has given this pseudo-science [of phrenology] a post-pop spin”
In 2005, de Cadenet was given permission by the American Archives in Washington D.C. to use the original x-ray taken of Adolf Hitler in 1944. This x-ray formed the basis of his work The Portrait of Adolf Hitler. The Guardian commented that the work, “is likely to provoke accusations of sensationalism”.
In 2008, artist Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
presented at Other Criteria Gallery, his own Self-Portrait in the same manner as de Cadenet’s x-ray skull portraits.
Other works
Since 2008, de Cadenet has been producing a series of castings from meteorite metal including The Origin and Hunger, which are apples with bites taken from them.In 2009, de Cadenet published The Muse, a book of his poetry and mobile phone photos. The Muse was intended by de Cadenet as an insight into the nature of creative inspiration.
External links
- http://www.decadenetworld.com
- http://www.alexiagoethegallery.com