Allen Jones,RA hosted at the Royal Academy of Arts

Written by Terry Oswald Wednesday, 24 November 2010 18:43

LONDON - Allen Jones turns 70 this year and to celebrate this milestone the Royal Academy of Arts is holding an exhibition dedicated to his vibrant watercolours in the Tennant Room. The exhibition will feature rarely-seen works spanning a quarter of a century, selected by the artist from his personal collection. On exhibition through 17 February, 2008.

Jones enjoys using watercolour for its immediate, graphic quality. In these works his familiar themes of eroticism, music and performance are expressed in bold washes and splashes with contrasting crisp, delicate lines. The watercolours vary widely in scale and range in intention from studies to finished pieces, but Jones’s mastery of colour is evident in every one. Displayed alongside them will be a major painted steel sculpture, Carefree Man (1991-92), allowing viewers to explore the relationship between the artist’s work in two and three dimensions.

Allen Jones has enjoyed international renown as a painter, sculptor and printmaker for over 40 years. Born in Southampton in 1937, he studied at Hornsey College of Art (1955-59 and 1960-61) and the Royal College of Art (1959-60). There he became associated with the burgeoning Pop art movement and much of his subsequent work has been influenced by mass culture; in particular the sexualized imagery from advertisements and magazines. Alongside his flourishing career as an artist, Jones taught in England, the USA and Germany between 1961 and 1983. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1981 and a full Royal Academician in 1986. He has had three major touring retrospectives, and his work is held in many British and international public collections. He lives and works in London and Oxfordshire.

PUBLICATION
Allen Jones: Works, by Andrew Lambirth and published by the Royal Academy of Arts will be available in the RA Shop. £29.95

Allen Jones’s work can be seen in a new solo exhibition:
•Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 26 November – 22 December 2007.

Allen Jones will also feature in the following major exhibitions and displays:
•Pop Art Is…, Gagosian Gallery, London, 20 September – 10 November 2007.
•Collections displays, Tate Britain, London, 8 October 2007 – 10 February 2008.
•Pop Art Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London, 11 October 2007 – 20 January 2008.
•Pop Art! 1956 – 1968, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, 26 October 2007 – 27 January 2008.