Nicholas Treadwell
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Treadwell owns the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery, which started in 1963 in touring vehicles, after which it was run in buildings in London, Bradford and finally Austria. Treadwell has promoted the Superhumanism art movement, which is defined as an art of urban living, conveyed in a vivid and accessible way. At times, his shows have evoked strong reactions for their provocative content.
and two furniture vans as mobile galleries, as "Nicholas Treadwell's Mobile Art Gallery", based in Croydon
.
In 1968, he established the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery at 36 Chiltern Street, in the West End
of London, and lived in one of the rooms in the basement. Against the contemporary trend of Hard-edge abstraction
and Minimalism, the gallery focused on "the basic nature of the human condition", and quickly gained a controversial reputation. In 1971, Art and Artist magazine said of one show: "The place blisters with work of searing eroticism, high camp, coarse belly laughs and hideous vulgarity".
In 1975, Treadwell asked 29 artists to submit a new approach to what he termed the normal "academic and dull" portraits of Queen Elizabeth. The results showed her hand-in-hand with Henry VIII, rowing a boat and drinking from a Union Jack mug. Treadwell said that business with tourists had been good, but he did not invite the Queen to the show, because "I see them as very affectionate portraits, but I don't know how she would see them".
In 1978, he acquired Denne Hill, a mansion with 52 rooms, designed by George Devey
and built in 1871–75, in Womenswold
between Canterbury
and Dover
; restoration took two years but it was opened to the public in July 1980. Denne Hill provided studios for artists and accommodation for visitors; Treadwell ran it alongside the London gallery until 1984.
The Chiltern Street gallery was key to the launch of the Superhumanism (or Super Humanism) movement, which is defined as "art about people, people living the life of an urban society", and about which Treadwell wrote the first book in 1979. He published a second book on Superhumanism and promoted the movement through exhibitions in the United Kingdom and on the continent. Ben Moss, in his book Four Funerals and a Wedding, wrote:
In 1981, Treadwell's stand at the FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) at the Grand Palais
in Paris was deemed "deplorable and very popular" by Richard Shone in The Burlington Magazine
.
In 1984, Treadwell left Chiltern Street, and in 1987 opened Treadwell's Art Mill for Superhumanist work in a three-storey former wool mill in Little Germany
, Bradford
. The Art Mill provided residency space for 14 artists, as well as a theatre, a cinema and a vegetarian cafe. Treadwell was particularly interested in supporting artists in their first few years out of college, when he felt it was important to encourage them not to compromise with their work. He opposed the "posh shop—where a few rich people help a few artists get rich." The building, erected in 1847, was visited by 25,000 people, but increasing debts forced Treadwell to put it up for sale by 1991.
By 1996, The Nicholas Treadwell Gallery was at 326 Old Street
, London. His own home was described as "littered" with paintings and sculptures, some by an anorexic artist who had died the previous year—one of these showed a small body huddled inside a wardrobe, in the bottom drawer of which the artist had placed her adoption papers. Treadwell said her sculptures were "very depressing but they do give you insight into the illness."
In 1998, John Windsor in The Independent
said that the work of the Young British Artists
seemed tame compared with that of the "shock art
" of the 1970s, including "kinky outrages" at the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery, amongst which were a "hanging, anatomically detailed leather straitjacket, complete with genitals", titled Pink Crucifixion, by Mandy Havers.
In January 2000, The Treadwell Gallery moved to Die Station, a set of buildings fronting a river near to the Bohemian Woods in Upper Austria.
In 2004, The Guardian
art critic Adrian Searle
reviewed Mike Kelley—The Uncanny at Tate Liverpool
. In the show were "super-realist" sculptures from the 1960s and 70s, many of which were by artists represented by what Searle called "the peculiar Nicholas Treadwell Gallery" and which he "had hoped never to see the first time, let alone again."
Treadwell wrote a letter to The Guardian saying that Searle's "dismissive language in relation to major works by the visionary artists Robert Knight and Malcolm Poynter, for instance, is inexplicable". This was followed by a letter from John Keane
, who said that galleries such as Treadwell's, outside an establishment coterie, were inevitably met with "a dismissive sneer" by critics who acted as a herd.
In January 2005, Treadwell moved to the courthouse and prison buildings in the Mühlviertel village of Aigen
, near the borders of Germany and the Czech Republic.
Work has been bought from Treadwell by John Entwistle
, Paul McCartney
and Malcolm Forbes
.
Life and career
Nicholas Treadwell was born in the United Kingdom. In 1963, he toured England with a double-decker busDouble-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
and two furniture vans as mobile galleries, as "Nicholas Treadwell's Mobile Art Gallery", based in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
In 1968, he established the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery at 36 Chiltern Street, in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
of London, and lived in one of the rooms in the basement. Against the contemporary trend of Hard-edge abstraction
Hard-edge painting
Hard-edge painting is painting in which abrupt transitions are found between color areas. Color areas are often of one unvarying color. The Hard-edge painting style is related to Geometric abstraction, Op Art, Post-painterly Abstraction, and Color Field painting.-History of the term:The term was...
and Minimalism, the gallery focused on "the basic nature of the human condition", and quickly gained a controversial reputation. In 1971, Art and Artist magazine said of one show: "The place blisters with work of searing eroticism, high camp, coarse belly laughs and hideous vulgarity".
In 1975, Treadwell asked 29 artists to submit a new approach to what he termed the normal "academic and dull" portraits of Queen Elizabeth. The results showed her hand-in-hand with Henry VIII, rowing a boat and drinking from a Union Jack mug. Treadwell said that business with tourists had been good, but he did not invite the Queen to the show, because "I see them as very affectionate portraits, but I don't know how she would see them".
In 1978, he acquired Denne Hill, a mansion with 52 rooms, designed by George Devey
George Devey
George Devey was a British architect, born in London, the second son of Frederick and Ann Devey. Devey was educated in London, after leaving school he initially studied art, with an ambition to become a professional artist...
and built in 1871–75, in Womenswold
Womenswold
Womenswold is a village and civil parish situated about south-east of Canterbury, Kent, England, 1 mile to the east of the A2 road. The parish consists of three hamlets; Womenswold, Woolage Village and Woolage Green....
between Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
; restoration took two years but it was opened to the public in July 1980. Denne Hill provided studios for artists and accommodation for visitors; Treadwell ran it alongside the London gallery until 1984.
The Chiltern Street gallery was key to the launch of the Superhumanism (or Super Humanism) movement, which is defined as "art about people, people living the life of an urban society", and about which Treadwell wrote the first book in 1979. He published a second book on Superhumanism and promoted the movement through exhibitions in the United Kingdom and on the continent. Ben Moss, in his book Four Funerals and a Wedding, wrote:
The actual imagery of the superhumanists, while striking, and sometimes shocking, reflected the contemporary feelings of the Western experience. It was preoccupied with daily life, with the characters of the street, or characters of an obtuse nature, and with scenes depicting the emotions, stresses or potential perversions lying within each of us. The artists, while portraying their ideas in aesthetically different ways, shared a desire to convey the moving nature of their subject matter in an understandably vivid manner. A philosophical acceptance of human weakness was an important characteristic of superhumanist art, but humour, cynicism, pessimism and anger were also present, along with an almost sad observation of the human condition, emotions which were the driving forces behind some of the movement's most striking imagery.
In 1981, Treadwell's stand at the FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) at the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
in Paris was deemed "deplorable and very popular" by Richard Shone in The Burlington Magazine
The Burlington Magazine
The Burlington Magazine is a monthly academic journal that covers the fine and decorative arts. It is the longest running art journal in the English language and it is a charitable organisation since 1986. It was established in 1903 by a group of art historians and connoisseurs which included Roger...
.
In 1984, Treadwell left Chiltern Street, and in 1987 opened Treadwell's Art Mill for Superhumanist work in a three-storey former wool mill in Little Germany
Little Germany, Bradford
Little Germany, Bradford is an area of particular historical and architectural interest in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.- History and information :The buildings within Little Germany date back to the 19th century....
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. The Art Mill provided residency space for 14 artists, as well as a theatre, a cinema and a vegetarian cafe. Treadwell was particularly interested in supporting artists in their first few years out of college, when he felt it was important to encourage them not to compromise with their work. He opposed the "posh shop—where a few rich people help a few artists get rich." The building, erected in 1847, was visited by 25,000 people, but increasing debts forced Treadwell to put it up for sale by 1991.
By 1996, The Nicholas Treadwell Gallery was at 326 Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...
, London. His own home was described as "littered" with paintings and sculptures, some by an anorexic artist who had died the previous year—one of these showed a small body huddled inside a wardrobe, in the bottom drawer of which the artist had placed her adoption papers. Treadwell said her sculptures were "very depressing but they do give you insight into the illness."
In 1998, John Windsor in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
said that the work of the 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...
seemed tame compared with that of the "shock art
Shock art
Shock art is contemporary art that incorporates disturbing imagery, sound or scents to create a shocking experience. While the art form's proponents argue that it is "embedded with social commentary" and most critics dismiss it as "cultural pollution", it is an increasingly marketable art,...
" of the 1970s, including "kinky outrages" at the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery, amongst which were a "hanging, anatomically detailed leather straitjacket, complete with genitals", titled Pink Crucifixion, by Mandy Havers.
In January 2000, The Treadwell Gallery moved to Die Station, a set of buildings fronting a river near to the Bohemian Woods in Upper Austria.
In 2004, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
art critic Adrian Searle
Adrian Searle
Adrian Searle is the chief art critic of The Guardian newspaper in Britain, and has been writing for the paper since 1996. Previously he was a painter. He curates art shows and also writes fiction.-Career:...
reviewed Mike Kelley—The Uncanny at Tate Liverpool
Tate Liverpool
Tate 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...
. In the show were "super-realist" sculptures from the 1960s and 70s, many of which were by artists represented by what Searle called "the peculiar Nicholas Treadwell Gallery" and which he "had hoped never to see the first time, let alone again."
Treadwell wrote a letter to The Guardian saying that Searle's "dismissive language in relation to major works by the visionary artists Robert Knight and Malcolm Poynter, for instance, is inexplicable". This was followed by a letter from John Keane
John Keane (artist)
John Granville Coldoys Keane is a British artist, whose paintings have contemporary political and social themes.-Life and work:John Keane was born in Hertfordshire, England...
, who said that galleries such as Treadwell's, outside an establishment coterie, were inevitably met with "a dismissive sneer" by critics who acted as a herd.
In January 2005, Treadwell moved to the courthouse and prison buildings in the Mühlviertel village of Aigen
Aigen im Mühlkreis
Aigen im Mühlkreis is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria.It is the site of Nicholas Treadwell's gallery....
, near the borders of Germany and the Czech Republic.
Work has been bought from Treadwell by John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Malcolm Forbes
Malcolm Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes was publisher of Forbes magazine, founded by his father B. C. Forbes and today run by his son Steve Forbes.-Life and career:...
.
Further reading
- Treadwell, Nicholas. (1980). Super Humanism: A British Art Movement. London: Nicholas Treadwell Books. Introduction by Michael Shepherd, edited by Paul Foster.
- The artists introduced are Roy Abernethy, Albert Alexander, Jane Anderson, Saskia de Boer, Jo Bondy, Chris Brown, John BuckleyJohn Buckley (sculptor)John Buckley, born in Leeds in 1945, is a sculptor whose best known work is the sculpture "Untitled 1986", better known as "the Shark House" or the "Headington Shark" in Headington, Oxford....
, Nick Cudworth, Graham Dean, Rod Dudley, Ian English, Mike Francis, David Giles, Guy Gladwell, Mike Gorman, Mandy Havers, Steve Hodges, Harry Holland, Graham IbbesonGraham IbbesonGraham Ibbeson is an artist and sculptor resident of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. He has created bronze sculptures in towns and cities across Britain including Leeds, Cardiff, Dover, Barnsley, Doncaster, Northampton, Chesterfield, Middlesbrough, Perth, Otley and Rugby...
, Robert Knight, Neil Moore, Mike Mycock, Malcolm Poynter, Paul RobertsPaul Roberts (painter)Paul Roberts is the former lead singer and songwriter of Sniff 'n' the Tears. He is also known for his work as a photorealistic painter. He recorded a number of albums under his own name, with music very similar to that of Sniff 'n' Tears. The key albums were City Without Walls and Kettle Drum...
, David Roft, Eric Scott, Ludmil Siskov, Nigel Thompson, Celestino Valenti, Andre Wallace.
- The artists introduced are Roy Abernethy, Albert Alexander, Jane Anderson, Saskia de Boer, Jo Bondy, Chris Brown, John Buckley
- Treadwell, Nicholas. (n.d., c.1981/1982) Superhumanism ... A Feeling for Our Times. London: Nicholas Treadwell Publications. ISBN 0-907932-00-2 (hard), ISBN 0-907932-01-0 (paper). On the front cover: Superhumanism 2 (S-oohpaahhumanismmm): A Survey of a Current Art Movement.
- The artists introduced are Roy Abernethy, Jane Anderson, Saskia de Boer, Jo Bondy, Chris Brown, Jon Buck, John BuckleyJohn Buckley (sculptor)John Buckley, born in Leeds in 1945, is a sculptor whose best known work is the sculpture "Untitled 1986", better known as "the Shark House" or the "Headington Shark" in Headington, Oxford....
, Barry BurmanBarry BurmanBarry Burman was an English figurative artist known for his dark and often disturbing subject matter. He was a successful as an artist and teacher. He took an overdose and died aged 57.- Early life :Burman was born in Bedford in 1943...
, Nick Cudworth, Graham Dean, Ian English, Mike Francis, David Giles, Guy Gladwell, Mike Gorman, Gordon Govier, Mandy Havers, Harry Holland, Graham IbbesonGraham IbbesonGraham Ibbeson is an artist and sculptor resident of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. He has created bronze sculptures in towns and cities across Britain including Leeds, Cardiff, Dover, Barnsley, Doncaster, Northampton, Chesterfield, Middlesbrough, Perth, Otley and Rugby...
, Robert Knight, Neil Moore, Mike Mycock, Howard Pemberton, Malcolm Poynter, Paul RobertsPaul Roberts (painter)Paul Roberts is the former lead singer and songwriter of Sniff 'n' the Tears. He is also known for his work as a photorealistic painter. He recorded a number of albums under his own name, with music very similar to that of Sniff 'n' Tears. The key albums were City Without Walls and Kettle Drum...
, David Roft, Eric Scott, Ludmil Siskov, Celestino Valenti, Andre Wallace.
- The artists introduced are Roy Abernethy, Jane Anderson, Saskia de Boer, Jo Bondy, Chris Brown, Jon Buck, John Buckley
- Treadwell, Nicholas, ed. (1984) Sex: Female, Occupation: Artist. Womenswold, Kent: Nicholas Treadwell Publications. ISBN 0-907932-02-9.
- Treadwell, Nicholas, ed. (1984) Malcolm Poynter: Sculpture and Theatre. Womenswold, Kent: Nicholas Treadwell Publications. ISBN 0-907932-03-7.