Matthew Carr (artist)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Carr was an artist from Britain
.
and named Matthew Xavier Maillard Carr. He studied at Camberwell School of Art from 1970 to 1971, followed by Cheltenham School of Art
from 1972 to 1974. His father was Sir Raymond Carr, an eminent historian and Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford
, and initially Carr seemed destined for an academic life by being sent to Eton College
, but he left at the age of 16 to study art at Camberwell. After completing his studies at Cheltenham School of Art, Carr returned to Oxford, and began teaching art and art history, until 1977 when he persuaded his parents to allow Andy Warhol
to use their house in Oxford to hold a party. In Carr's own words: 'So I met Andy Warhol, he saw the drawings I was doing, and next thing I knew he put me up at the Ritz
for two days, then took me to America. And he introduced me to Robert Fraser, who became my first agent.' Carr readily admitted this was both his big break in the art world, but also the start of a problem with drug addiction as he entered the celebrity world of London and New York in the late 1970s. It was to take him twenty years to overcome his drugs addition.
In 1988 Carr married Lady Anne Somerset, a well regarded historian and daughter of the 11th Duke of Beaufort.
http://www.thepeerage.com/p6989.htm
Despite being well connected in the art world, Carr was an infrequent exhibitor of his work. In 1977 He exhibited alongside Hugh Dunford Wood and Sara Lutyens in Church Street, Kensington, London, and he staged his first solo show at the Robert Fraser Gallery in London in 1983. Subsequent solo shows were at the Wildenstein Gallery in London in 1993, and two shows at Marlborough Fine Art, London, in 2003 and 2008. He also showed at Marlborough Gallery in New York in 2006.
In 2006 he also took part in the exhibition Drawing Inspiration, held at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, an exhibition that included the artists Tony Bevan
, Christopher Bramham
, Patrick Caulfield
, Tracey Emin
, Hughie O’Donoghue and others.
Carr died of leukaemia on 23 February 2011.
Carr's working method could be both intense and painful. According to the art critic Richard Dorment, sitting for Carr was a difficult experience involving 'tedious hours sitting in frozen-faced silence, when, aware of eyes boring into me with frightening intensity, I listened to the scratching of pencil on paper and the ticking of my wristwatch.' Yet this led, Dorment suggested, to Carr capturing an essential humanity of the sitting in his work.
This almost forensic analysis can be seen in the way Carr would often organise images on his paper, most notably when drawing a series of twelve penises on a page, 'in alarming close-up', but also evident in his portrait heads which frequently float disembodied in the centre of the paper. In addition to Carr's study of penises, his is best known for a similar drawing showing the heads of nine rhesus monkeys, and a series of drawings of the semi-mumified human corpses in the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo
.
Carr claimed to hate the picture he made of the musician Diana Ross, a rare commissioned piece, due to compromising on the singer's request to include a sunset in the background. Instead he tended to be select his models himself, often from the world of literature, Tom Stoppard, Miriam Gross, Sebastian Faulks, James Fenton, Alan Jenkins and Francis Wyndham.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Biography
Carr was born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and named Matthew Xavier Maillard Carr. He studied at Camberwell School of Art from 1970 to 1971, followed by Cheltenham School of Art
University of Gloucestershire
The University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over four campuses, three in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester...
from 1972 to 1974. His father was Sir Raymond Carr, an eminent historian and Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
, and initially Carr seemed destined for an academic life by being sent to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, but he left at the age of 16 to study art at Camberwell. After completing his studies at Cheltenham School of Art, Carr returned to Oxford, and began teaching art and art history, until 1977 when he persuaded his parents to allow Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
to use their house in Oxford to hold a party. In Carr's own words: 'So I met Andy Warhol, he saw the drawings I was doing, and next thing I knew he put me up at the Ritz
Ritz Hotel
The Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906...
for two days, then took me to America. And he introduced me to Robert Fraser, who became my first agent.' Carr readily admitted this was both his big break in the art world, but also the start of a problem with drug addiction as he entered the celebrity world of London and New York in the late 1970s. It was to take him twenty years to overcome his drugs addition.
In 1988 Carr married Lady Anne Somerset, a well regarded historian and daughter of the 11th Duke of Beaufort.
David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort
David Robert Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort is a British peer. He was nominated to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
http://www.thepeerage.com/p6989.htm
Despite being well connected in the art world, Carr was an infrequent exhibitor of his work. In 1977 He exhibited alongside Hugh Dunford Wood and Sara Lutyens in Church Street, Kensington, London, and he staged his first solo show at the Robert Fraser Gallery in London in 1983. Subsequent solo shows were at the Wildenstein Gallery in London in 1993, and two shows at Marlborough Fine Art, London, in 2003 and 2008. He also showed at Marlborough Gallery in New York in 2006.
In 2006 he also took part in the exhibition Drawing Inspiration, held at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, an exhibition that included the artists Tony Bevan
Tony Bevan (painter)
-Biography:Bevan was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He studied at Bradford School of Art from 1968 to 1971, followed by Goldsmiths' College, London from 1971 to 1974, and the Slade School of Fine Art from 1974 to 1976...
, Christopher Bramham
Christopher Bramham
-Biography:Bramham was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He studied at Bradford School of Art from 1970 to 1971, followed by Kingston-upon-Thames Art School from 1971 to 1973...
, Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Joseph Caulfield, CBE, RA was an English painter and printmaker known for his bold canvases, which often incorporated elements of Photorealism within a pared down scene.-Life and work:...
, Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin
Tracey Karima Emin RA is a British artist of English and Turkish Cypriot origin. She is part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs ....
, Hughie O’Donoghue and others.
Carr died of leukaemia on 23 February 2011.
Style and Influences
Carr's works predominantly in drawing, in a style that has affinities with highly wrought classical drawing now seen in the 'atelier art schools' in Europe and America. However Carr's work has a far greater intensity than most atelier drawing which was described by David Jenkins in the Daily Telegragh newspaper as the: 'ferocious concentration and psychological precision Carr brings to his work'.Carr's working method could be both intense and painful. According to the art critic Richard Dorment, sitting for Carr was a difficult experience involving 'tedious hours sitting in frozen-faced silence, when, aware of eyes boring into me with frightening intensity, I listened to the scratching of pencil on paper and the ticking of my wristwatch.' Yet this led, Dorment suggested, to Carr capturing an essential humanity of the sitting in his work.
This almost forensic analysis can be seen in the way Carr would often organise images on his paper, most notably when drawing a series of twelve penises on a page, 'in alarming close-up', but also evident in his portrait heads which frequently float disembodied in the centre of the paper. In addition to Carr's study of penises, his is best known for a similar drawing showing the heads of nine rhesus monkeys, and a series of drawings of the semi-mumified human corpses in the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo
Capuchin catacombs of Palermo
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo are burial catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy...
.
Carr claimed to hate the picture he made of the musician Diana Ross, a rare commissioned piece, due to compromising on the singer's request to include a sunset in the background. Instead he tended to be select his models himself, often from the world of literature, Tom Stoppard, Miriam Gross, Sebastian Faulks, James Fenton, Alan Jenkins and Francis Wyndham.
Further reading
- Marlborough Fine Art, Matthew Carr: New Work (London: Marlborough Fine Art, 2008) ISBN 9781904372684
- David Jenkins, 'Matthew Carr spares no detail' in The Daily Telegraph (London newspaper), 29 June 2008
- Richard Dorment, 'Ferocious Gaze of a Master Draughtsman', in The Daily Telegraph (London newspaper), 3 December 2003