David Prentice 1936 – 2014 A Retrospective, Part l

June 24th – August 26th 2017 at The John Davies gallery

The late David Prentice was a Midlands artist, co-founder of the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, regular contributor to The Artist, creator of grid paintings and abstracts, as well as landscapes and cityscapes in watercolour, pastel and oil.

On retirement from teaching art in 1990, David and Dinah Prentice moved to a Victorian villa on the side of the Malvern Hills. From then on, David became known for his depictions of the Malvern Hills. These included reed pen and ink drawings done on the spot (with home-made pens), watercolours and pastels, as well as oils.

Prentice’s watercolours can undoubtedly be recognized as an extension of the grand English tradition in the medium stemming back to the late 18th Century, full, bold and executed with firmly controlled washes, but at the same time developing wonderful semi-abstract colourist pastels and canvases, very often up to 60in square. Late in life he became a regular winner of awards such as the Sunday Times Singer and Friedlander Watercolour Competitions

His paintings reached a much wider audience when Prentice joined the John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold (latterly Moreton-in-Marsh) in 1996, but many remain unaware of the artist’s evolutionary, even revolutionary diversity from his earlier years, particularly from the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Some of David Prentice’s early prize winning paintings from the late 1950’s are traditionally composed representational works; from the 1960’s he was creating hard edged abstract canvases, close to Op art inspired by Mondrian. Some of his early works were bought by Arts Council and shown at the Serpentine. He was also taken up by Betty Parsons in New York and bought by the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo.

David eventually became course director for the BA Fine Art degree at Birmingham Polytechnic under the direction of William Gear.

The artist’s work from this period has rarely been seen in recent years. The David Prentice Two Part Retrospective at the John Davies Gallery, Moreton-in-Marsh from June 24th, is to include a wide range of well-preserved grid paintings, abstract works on paper, the Kite Series as well as the more recent Malvern Hills and City of London paintings. The family wish the work to be ‘out there and enjoyed’ so consequently most of the exhibits will be for sale. Prices will include etchings in the low hundreds, watercolours mostly below £3,000 and oils from about £3,000 and into five figures.

The exhibition is to be in two parts, each show containing 100 pieces. Part I from June 24th, the date for Part II is yet to be confirmed.

A full colour catalogue ( Part I) is available at £15 incl p&p from The John Davies Gallery, The Old Dairy Plant 6 Fosseway Business Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 9NQ

Tel: 01608 652255

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.johndaviesgallery.com