Chantal Joffe
Encyclopedia
Chantal Joffe is an English
artist based in London
. Her often large-scale paintings generally depict women and children. In 2006 she received the prestigious Charles Wollaston Award from the Royal Academy
.
, Hertfordshire
, England
. Her younger brother is contemporary artist and novelist Jasper Joffe
. Their mother, Daryll Joffe, is also an artist, painting in watercolours.
Joffe completed her Foundation studies at Camberwell College of Arts
(1987–88). She attended Glasgow School of Art
in 1988–91, graduating with honours and receiving her BA in Fine Art. She received her MA in painting from the Royal College of Art
, which she attended from 1992–94.
She was honoured with the Delfina Studio Trust Award in 1994–96 and the Abbey Scholarship (the British School at Rome) in 1998–99. Joffe lives in London.
, Joffe said, "I really love painting women. Their bodies, their clothes – it all interests me." Source images for her personality-filled oil paintings include family photos, advertising, fashion magazines, and pornography. Working roughly from her photographic source material, Joffe introduces distortions to her depictions.
In the McCartney interview, Joffe mentioned the photography of Diane Arbus
as an inspiration for her art: "I find photography massively influential. Specifically, Diane Arbus, who I've been obsessed with my whole life. Her work has everything about the portrait of a human that you can ever want."
A reviewer said of her "big rude paintings" that "she paints with a kind of easy control – effortless without being slick." He further points out that her paintings may give an initial impression of simplicity, charm, or childishness, but "they have an unsettling quality which gives the exhibition an odd, rather menacing mood."
Some of her paintings are so large that she required scaffolding
to work on them. Painting in huge, unfussy brushstrokes, she is unconcerned with stray drips and blobs of paint, and sometimes leaves old outlines visible. A reviewer noted that "painting the heads up close also makes for large, wonky eyes and odd proportions, like Picasso
re-invented in manga."
In 2006, British magazine Latest Art selected thirty of the most important female artists
of all time. Joffe was included for her large paintings which "are simply exquisite representations of femininity".
In 2002 she participated in an exhibition entitled The Bold and The Beautiful, at The Pavilions, Mile End Park in London. This show marked the first time Chantal, her mother Daryll Joffe, and her brother Jasper Joffe
were featured in an exhibit together.
She won the £
25,000 Charles Wollaston Award in the 2006 Royal Academy summer exhibition
, for the "most distinguished work in the exhibition". The winning painting was Blond Girl – Black Dress. The judges praised the painting as "an incredibly strong and striking painting ... There was no debate about the winner, the decision was reached unanimously."
Selected other group exhibitions include:
Joffe's work is in the collections of Saatchi Gallery
(London, England),
Berardo Collection Museum
(Lisbon, Portugal), Museo Arte Contemporanea Isernia (Isernia, Italy), Museo d'Arte Classica (Zola Predosa
, Italy), and The West Collection (Oaks, Pennsylvania
). She is represented by the Victoria Miro Gallery
in London.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Her often large-scale paintings generally depict women and children. In 2006 she received the prestigious Charles Wollaston Award from the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
Life and education
Chantal Joffe was born in St AlbansSt Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Her younger brother is contemporary artist and novelist Jasper Joffe
Jasper Joffe
Jasper Joffe is a British contemporary artist and novelist.-Life and work:Jasper Joffe was born in the United States in 1975 and moved to England when he was eight. He is the brother of artist Chantal Joffe. He studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford...
. Their mother, Daryll Joffe, is also an artist, painting in watercolours.
Joffe completed her Foundation studies at Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
(1987–88). She attended Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
in 1988–91, graduating with honours and receiving her BA in Fine Art. She received her MA in painting from the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, which she attended from 1992–94.
She was honoured with the Delfina Studio Trust Award in 1994–96 and the Abbey Scholarship (the British School at Rome) in 1998–99. Joffe lives in London.
Art
Joffe primarily paints expressive portraits of women and children, often in very large scale, sometimes 10 feet (3 m) tall. In a 2009 interview with Stella McCartneyStella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...
, Joffe said, "I really love painting women. Their bodies, their clothes – it all interests me." Source images for her personality-filled oil paintings include family photos, advertising, fashion magazines, and pornography. Working roughly from her photographic source material, Joffe introduces distortions to her depictions.
In the McCartney interview, Joffe mentioned the photography of Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
as an inspiration for her art: "I find photography massively influential. Specifically, Diane Arbus, who I've been obsessed with my whole life. Her work has everything about the portrait of a human that you can ever want."
A reviewer said of her "big rude paintings" that "she paints with a kind of easy control – effortless without being slick." He further points out that her paintings may give an initial impression of simplicity, charm, or childishness, but "they have an unsettling quality which gives the exhibition an odd, rather menacing mood."
Some of her paintings are so large that she required scaffolding
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
to work on them. Painting in huge, unfussy brushstrokes, she is unconcerned with stray drips and blobs of paint, and sometimes leaves old outlines visible. A reviewer noted that "painting the heads up close also makes for large, wonky eyes and odd proportions, like Picasso
re-invented in manga."
In 2006, British magazine Latest Art selected thirty of the most important female artists
Women artists
Women artists have been involved in making art in most times and places. Often certain certain media are associated with women, particularly textile arts; however, these gender roles in art change in different cultures and communities...
of all time. Joffe was included for her large paintings which "are simply exquisite representations of femininity".
Exhibitions and collections
Joffe's work has shown internationally in many exhibitions. She has had solo exhibitions in London, Milan, Venice, Paris, New York, and Bologna. Her work has also been featured in many group exhibitions.In 2002 she participated in an exhibition entitled The Bold and The Beautiful, at The Pavilions, Mile End Park in London. This show marked the first time Chantal, her mother Daryll Joffe, and her brother Jasper Joffe
Jasper Joffe
Jasper Joffe is a British contemporary artist and novelist.-Life and work:Jasper Joffe was born in the United States in 1975 and moved to England when he was eight. He is the brother of artist Chantal Joffe. He studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford...
were featured in an exhibit together.
She won the £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
25,000 Charles Wollaston Award in the 2006 Royal Academy summer exhibition
Royal Academy summer exhibition
The Summer Exhibition is an open art exhibition held annually by the Royal Academy in Burlington House, Piccadilly in central London, England, during the summer months of June, July, and August...
, for the "most distinguished work in the exhibition". The winning painting was Blond Girl – Black Dress. The judges praised the painting as "an incredibly strong and striking painting ... There was no debate about the winner, the decision was reached unanimously."
Selected other group exhibitions include:
- National Portrait Award Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London (1992 and 1993).
- New Contemporaries at the Tate LiverpoolTate LiverpoolTate Liverpool is an art gallery and museum in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The museum was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporation...
(1996) - Big Girl, Little Girl at Collective Gallery in EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(1996) - British Portrait 1 at Studio d'Arte Raffaelli in Italy (1999)
- The Way I See It at Galerie Jennifer Flay in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(2001) - The Galleries Show 2002: Contemporary Art in London at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (2002)
- John Moores 22 at the Walker Art GalleryWalker Art GalleryThe Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
in LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
(2002) - London Calling at Galleri KB in OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(2005) - DRAW at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern ArtMiddlesbrough Institute of Modern ArtMiddlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, or mima, is a contemporary art gallery based in the centre of Middlesbrough, England. The gallery was formally launched on Sunday 27 January 2007...
(2007) - British Subjects: Identity and Self-Fashioning 1967-2009 at Neuberger Museum of Art in New York (2009)
Joffe's work is in the collections of Saatchi Gallery
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art, opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 in order to exhibit his collection to the public. It has occupied different premises, first in North London, then the South Bank by the River Thames and currently in Chelsea. Saatchi's collection, and...
(London, England),
Berardo Collection Museum
Berardo Collection Museum
The Berardo Collection Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Belém, a district of Lisbon, Portugal.-History:...
(Lisbon, Portugal), Museo Arte Contemporanea Isernia (Isernia, Italy), Museo d'Arte Classica (Zola Predosa
Zola Predosa
Zola Predosa is a comune in the Province of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 11 km west of Bologna.-External links:*...
, Italy), and The West Collection (Oaks, Pennsylvania
Oaks, Pennsylvania
Oaks is a village located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Its boundaries are defined in large part by the village's position at the junction of Perkiomen Creek and the Schuylkill River.-History:The two waterways defined much of the...
). She is represented by the Victoria Miro Gallery
Victoria Miro Gallery
The Victoria Miro Gallery is a leading British contemporary art gallery in London, with an international reputation, run by Victoria Miro, one of the "grandes dames of the Britart scene", who first exhibited Chris Ofili and the Chapman Brothers...
in London.