Ian Davenport
Encyclopedia
Ian Davenport is an English
painter
, and former Turner Prize
nominee.
in London
, and studied art
at the Northwich
College of Art and Design in Cheshire
before going to Goldsmiths College
from where he graduated in 1988. In the same year, he exhibited in the Damien Hirst
-curated Freeze
exhibition which first brought together many of the later-to-be Young British Artists
. Davenport's first solo show was in 1990 and in the same year he was included in the British Art Show
. In 1991, he was nominated for the annual Turner Prize
.
Many of Davenport's works are made by pouring paint onto a tilted surface and letting gravity spread the paint over the surface. He has usually worked on medium density fibreboard
rather than canvas
, and most often employs household gloss paint
, meaning the viewer can see their own reflection in the work. He has made a number of diptychs and triptychs as well as single works.
For the Days Like These exhibition at Tate Britain
in 2003, Davenport made a thirteen-metre high mural
by dripping lines of differently coloured paint down the wall from a syringe
. In September 2006 he unveiled his largest public commission to date on Southwark Bridge
entitled Poured Lines: Southwark:
Davenport's use of dripped paint and gravity has been compared to similar techniques employed by Helen Frankenthaler
and Morris Louis in the 1950s and 1960s. Other possible influences on his work include Jackson Pollock
and Bridget Riley
. His work is exhibited in London at Waddington Galleriesand The Alan Cristea Gallery, and the Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh
.
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...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and former Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
nominee.
Life and work
Ian Davenport was born in SidcupSidcup
Sidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of...
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...
, and studied art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
at the Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
College of Art and Design in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
before going to Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
from where he graduated in 1988. In the same year, he exhibited in the 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,...
-curated Freeze
Freeze (exhibition)
Freeze is the title of an art exhibition that took place in July 1988 in an empty London Port Authority building at Surrey Docks in London Docklands. Its main organiser was Damien Hirst. It was significant in the subsequent development of the Young British Artists.-Organisation:Freeze was...
exhibition which first brought together many of the later-to-be Young British Artists
Young British Artists
Young British Artists or YBAs is the name given to a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London, in 1988...
. Davenport's first solo show was in 1990 and in the same year he was included in the British Art Show
British Art Show
The British Art Show is a major survey exhibition organised every five years to showcase contemporary British Art. The current exhibition in the series, referred to as BAS6, is touring a number of major cities within England in 2005 and 2006. Each time it is organised, the show tours to three UK...
. In 1991, he was nominated for the annual Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
.
Many of Davenport's works are made by pouring paint onto a tilted surface and letting gravity spread the paint over the surface. He has usually worked on medium density fibreboard
Medium-density fibreboard
Medium-density fiberboard is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure...
rather than canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
, and most often employs household gloss paint
Gloss (paint)
Paint and other finishes come in a variety of finish gloss levels, which correspond to different levels of specular reflection.Some common names for levels of gloss include: flat, matte, eggshell, satin, silk, semi-gloss, high gloss. These terms are not standardized, and not all manufacturers use...
, meaning the viewer can see their own reflection in the work. He has made a number of diptychs and triptychs as well as single works.
For the Days Like These exhibition at Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
in 2003, Davenport made a thirteen-metre high mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
by dripping lines of differently coloured paint down the wall from a syringe
Syringe
A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
. In September 2006 he unveiled his largest public commission to date on Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge for traffic linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames, in London, England. It was designed by Ernest George and Basil Mott. It was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. and opened in 1921...
entitled Poured Lines: Southwark:
Davenport's use of dripped paint and gravity has been compared to similar techniques employed by Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler is an American abstract expressionist painter. She is a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work in six decades she has spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work...
and Morris Louis in the 1950s and 1960s. Other possible influences on his work include Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
and Bridget Riley
Bridget Riley
Bridget Louise Riley CH CBE is an English painter who is one of the foremost proponents of Op art.-Early life:...
. His work is exhibited in London at Waddington Galleriesand The Alan Cristea Gallery, and the Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh 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...
.
External links
- Painting walls at uni, an Ian Davenport painting at Warwick University new Mathematics and Statistics Building, BBC Coventry, April 2004
- video of Davenport's Mead on Everything, Youtube
- Serena Davies, Dance to the music of lines, The Telegraph, 19 August 2006
- The big picture, Davenport's large outdoor painting for Southwark's Western Bridge, London, BBC London, 5 September 2006
- Tom Teodorczuk, Tate Lines up Bankside Mural, London Evening Standard, 6 September 2006
- Ian Davenport's CV, Salt Bridges, Contemporary Art at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford