LONDON.- Jessica Carlisle announces an exhibition of renowned British artist Paul Feiler (1918 - 2013), opening in October 2016. The exhibition will present works from the 1970s to the 2000s, including paintings from the artists celebrated series Aduton and his lesser-known perspex reliefs.
Feiler moved to Cornwall in 1953, where he taught at the St Ives Summer School for several years. Through his close friendship with Peter Lanyon he became associated with the St Ives School painters such as Terry Frost and Patrick Heron, who were known for developing modern and abstract art in Britain during the 1940s to 1960s. For a number of years Feiler worked within this movement, however, as he himself said, I couldnt become a ventriloquist and try to become someone else just to be a member of the scene. Gradually I withdrew from the scene and did my own thing. The character of Feilers work changed radically in the 1970s, moving to an entirely non-figurative, geometric language, always on square canvas.
The series title Aduton refers to the innermost part of a Greek or Roman temple, which would often hold a cult image or icon. The works embody the idea of a sacred and devotional space reserved for contemplation and are pared down to an exploration of colour, perspective and space. Feiler increasingly incorporated gold and silver leaf into his works from the 1970s, enhancing the spiritual aspect of the work.
Two retrospective exhibitions of Feilers work were held at Tate St Ives in 1995 and in 2005. Feilers paintings are held in collections both in the UK and internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate and Kettles Yard.
Jessica Carlisle has said: I am delighted to be presenting the work of Paul Feiler during Frieze Week 2016. Feiler is often associated with the St Ives School, yet his work developed far beyond the well-known gestural landscapes of that group. His particular form of abstraction, pushed and refined to its very limit over decades of relentless and indefatigable experiment, strikes a very contemporary chord. I am excited to see this eloquent and timeless work resonate with a new generation.
The exhibition is presented in association with the Paul Feiler Estate and Redfern Gallery.
Paul Feiler was born in 1918 in Frankfurt, Germany. He studied at the Slade School of Art and went on to teach at the West of England College of Art, Bristol from 1946 until 1983. Settling in Cornwall, where he lived until his death in 2013, he was one of the leading figures of the Modern Art movement emanating from that area and had two major retrospective exhibitions at Tate St Ives in 1995 and 2005. Profoundly influenced by the landscape, his refined colour modulations are principally concerned with our perception of space. Feilers work is held in numerous British collections, including the Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kettles Yard and the Arts Council. International collections featuring his work include the Gallery of Modern Art in Washington, DC; the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris; and the Toronto Art Gallery in Canada.