David Saunders (artist)
David Saunders | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936 Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Education | St Martin's School of Art, Royal Academy Schools |
| Occupations |
|
| Movement | Systematic, Constructive |
David Saunders (born 1936) is an English artist, teacher, and musician.[1] His work is systematic and constructivist. It is mainly exhibited and appreciated in Europe, where it is held in many national collections.
Early life and education[edit]
Saunders was born in 1936 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.[2] After leaving school, he worked briefly in the advertising industry while taking evening classes held by Vivian Pitchforth at St Martin's School of Art.
Saunders was conscripted into the army and stationed on Salisbury plain, where he enjoyed painting while not on active service. After being discharged, he studied at the Royal Academy Schools under Frederick Gore from 1959 to 1962, where he gained a master's degree.[2]
Career[edit]
After completing his studies, Saunders was appointed to a teaching post at Newport College of Art in 1965, where he first met the painter Jeffrey Steele. In 1967 Saunders started producing "Systematic-Constructive" work.[2]
In 1968, at the Arts Council of Great Britain Thirtienth Open Exhibition for Painting and Sculpture in Cardiff, Saunders and Steele won the Purchase Prize.[3] This event began a long collaboration between both artists and, one year later, the establishment of the Systems Group, following the 1969 exhibition in Helsinki.[1]
In 1970, Saunders became artist-in-residence at Sussex University and in 1972 at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where he studied the works of Piet Mondrian.[2] Between 1970 and 1980 Saunders was a visiting lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Art, London University, which he combined with teaching painting and photography at Liverpool Polytechnic Art School [1]
In the late 1970s, he started looking into colour functions, and in 1985, while living in Clwyd, Wales, he organised a touring exhibition called Colour Presentations. He was a member of the 56 Group in Wales.[2]
In 1988, aged 52, Saunders stepped away from formal teaching.[1]
Art historian Alan Fowler discusses Saunders' work in his 2006 PhD thesis "Constructive Art in Britain 1913 - 2005".[4] Saunders is also mentioned in Alastair Grieve's 2005 book "Constructed Abstract Art in England After the Second World War: A Neglected Avant-Garde".[5]
Personal life[edit]
In 1985, Saunders lived in Clwyd, North Wales, returning to London in 1994.[2] In 2006, Saunders moved to Tarascon-sur-Ariège, France, where he is currently resident.[6]
Music[edit]
Saunders became associated with the Portsmouth Sinfonia and the Ross and Cromarty Orchestra [7]
Selected exhibitions[edit]
Solo[edit]
- 1965: First solo exhibition at the Artists' International Association gallery, London[2]
- 1970: Gardner Centre Gallery, University of Sussex, Brighton[1]
- 1995: Janus Avivson Gallery, London [2]
- 2002: SEVEN SEVEN gallery, London [1]
- 2002: Dean Clough Gallery, Halifax,[2]
- 2016: La Galerie, Lycée Gabriel Fauré, Foix [1]
- 2018: Transforming Surfaces, Arthouse1 Gallery, London [8]
Group[edit]
- 1967: Survey 67, Camden Arts Centre, London[2]
- 1968: Wales Now, Welsh Arts Council,[7]
- 1969: Systeemi•System, Amos Anderson Museum, Helsinki[2]
- 1971: Matrix, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol[2]
- 1972: Systems, a touring exhibition organised by the Arts Council and Whitechapel Art Gallery[2]
- 1983: Four British Constructivists, Engstrom Gallery, Stockholm[2]
- 1986: Colour Presentations, Gardner Centre Gallery, University of Sussex/Stoke-on-Trent City Museum/Spacex Gallery, Exeter [1]
- 1986: Colour Constructions, Exhibiting Space, London [1]
- 1986: Systematic and Constructivist Drawings, Wentworth Gallery, University of York [1]
- 1994: Mostyn Open Exhibition 5, Oriel Mostyn, Mostyn, Wales[2]
- 2008: A Rational Aesthetic Southampton City Art Gallery, UK,[1]
- 2017: Systems 1972, Tate Britain[1]
Works in public collections[edit]
- Tate Gallery, London
- Southampton City Art Gallery
- The South Bank Collection, London
- Arts Council of Wales
- National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
- National Library of Wales
- Conoco-Philips Collection, Warwick
- Dean Clough Collection, Halifax
- Sammlung Konkrete Kunst, Jena
- Gemeente Museum, The Hague
- Rijksmuseum Meermano, The Hague
- Stanford University, USA
- University of Sussex
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Arts Council of England[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Saunders, David. "Curriculum Vitae". David Saunders. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Buckman, David (1998), Dictionary of Artists in Britain since 1945, Art Dictionaries Ltd, p. 1072
- ^ Saunders, David; Steele, Jeffrey. "Arts Council of Great Britain Report 1969". Internet Archive. Arts Council of Great Britain. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Fowler, Alan (2006), Constructivist Art in Britain 1913-2005, Winchester School of Art, p. 140
- ^ Grieve, Alastair (2005), Constructed Abstract Art in England After the Second World War: A Neglected Avant-Garde, Yale University Press, p. 54, ISBN 978-0-300-10703-6
- ^ Saunders, David. "About the Artist". Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ a b Saunders, David (1972). Systems. Arts Council. pp. 40–42.
- ^ Saunders, David. "Transforming Surfaces". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
External links[edit]
- Official website David Saunders