GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
Blain|Southern London
New Paintings
2 October – 16 November 2019
Blain|Southern Berlin
SQUINT
16 September – 28 October 2017
Blain|Southern London
Revolt of the Sage
24 November 2016 – 21 January 2017
Over the last thirty years Michael Simpson (b.1940 Dorset, UK) has focused on just two series, Bench Paintings (1989-2009) and Squint (2012 – present). A ‘leper squint’ is an architectural feature that can be found in medieval churches across Europe. The narrow aperture allowed lepers and other ‘undesirable’ members of society to witness the service from outside without threatening the congregation with disease. While on one level Simpson’s subject matter is the infamy of religious history and the politics of belief, the artist states that these subjective references provide only a subtext for his principal subject: the mechanics of painting.
INSTITUTIONS
Flat Surface Painting
16 January – 27 March 2016
Spike Island, Bristol, UK
Michael Simpson at the Minsheng Art Museum
10 April – 15 June 2018
Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, CN
NEWS
EVENTS
BIOGRAPHY
Accordingly, Michael Simpson’s works open up a set of conversations about light, space, composition, surface and colour. These are the concerns of every painter throughout history. But if we extend these ideas into the more abstract realms of balance, elegance, plausibility, belief and reason, we can imagine how a painting by Simpson becomes a metaphysical proposition. Indeed, Simpson’s work reminds us that many painters find metaphysical potential in the tangible forms and surfaces of everyday objects. In his case, a ladder, ramp, step or stairway is the only object in each painting, besides the squint that it leads to. The spareness of the subject matter allows focus to rest on the formal elements of the painting. With the steps positioned or composed as if to challenge physical access, the squint remains an inaccessible black void rather than a portal to the divine. Simpson resolutely keeps his viewers outside, staring at a flat surface, at what de Chirico might call the ‘tranquil and senseless beauty of matter’.
By focusing on the structure and formal elements of the painting, Simpson asks how a flat surface can conjure an illusion of space. And he takes that idea further to ask why we derive so much pleasure from that illusion? If illusions of physical depth propose metaphysical depth, what might that imply about the structure of our perceptions, our tendency to believe? Simpson’s ladders might suggest that there is no way to lift ourselves beyond the constraints of sense perception, and that our belief systems must be kept in check by acknowledging these limits.
In Vitamin P3, a guide to contemporary painting, critic Barry Schwabsky describes Simpson’s ‘allegiance to a conception more readily associated with abstraction than with painting that employs images’. He goes on to describe the artist’s preoccupation with ‘the idea that painting is not a kind of imaginary opening in the wall through which we get an illusory view of another world, but rather a physical thing that is made, whose flat surface confronts the viewer with a presence that demand engagement.’
CV
1940, Born in Dorset, UK
Lives and works in Wiltshire, UK
EDUCATION
1958-60
Bournemouth College of Art
1960-63
Royal College of Art, London
AWARDS
2016
John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (first prize)
2000
The Arts Foundation Fellowship in Painting (winner)
1991
John Moores 17, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (prize winner)
1977
Tolly Cobbald/Eastern Arts First Exhibition, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, (joint first prize)
1976
Arts Council of Great Britain Major Award
1975
Southern Arts Council Major Award
1968
Open Painting Exhibition Arts Council of Northern Ireland (joint first prize)
1963
British Council Scholarship to the Soviet Union
1960
University of London Exhibition (first prize)
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Michael Simpson: New Paintings, Blain|Southern, London, UK
2018
Selected Works of Michael Simpson, Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum, CN
2017
Squint, Blain|Southern, Berlin, DE
2016
Flat Surface Painting, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
2015
Flat Surface Painting, Spike Island, Bristol, UK
2014
Study #6, Michael Simpson, David Roberts Arts Foundation, London, UK
2013
The Leper Squint Paintings, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
2007
Bench Paintings Recent Work 2005 – 2006, David Risley Gallery, London, UK
2005
Bench Paintings, an Installation, Hymn- Psalm-Song-Prayer, The Tithe Barn, Bradford on Avon, UK
1996
Bench Paintings 1992-1995, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol and Oriel 31, Newtown, UK
1985
Michael Simpson: Paintings, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
1983
Michael Simpson Paintings 1980-1983, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, UK
1973
Six large paintings, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, UK
1972
Recent Paintings, Piccadilly Gallery, London, UK
1968
Paintings, University of Sussex, UK
Paintings and Drawings, Piccadilly Gallery, London, UK
1964
Recent Paintings, Piccadilly Gallery, London, UK
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020
Slow Painting, Hayward Gallery Touring, Levinsky Gallery, Plymouth, UK; The Edge and University Gallery, Bath, UK; Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, UK and Thurso Art Gallery, UK (forthcoming)
2019
Slow Painting, Hayward Gallery Touring, Leeds Museum and Art Gallery, UK (forthcoming)
2018
Class Reunion, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, AT
2016
Revolt of the Sage, Blain|Southern, London, UK
Shall we sit, stand or kneel to pray?, Marlborough Contemporary, New York, US
John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
The Painting Show, The British Council Touring Show, Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Vilnius, LT; Limerick City Gallery of Art, IE
On the Immense and the Numberless, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
Bench, Tintype Gallery, London, UK
2015
Tightrope Walk; Painted Images after Abstraction, White Cube Bermondsey, London, UK
Absence. Looking for Hammershøi, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
2013
The Debris of the Fuck drawings 1970 – 74, Kunst Als Forschung, Serge Stauffer Helm Haus, CH
2010
Paper Show, David Risley Gallery, Copenhagen, DK
2007
Citadel 1: Front Room/Killing Room, David Risley Gallery, London, UK
2005
Accidental Death, David Risley Gallery, London, UK
Crivelli’s Nail, Chapter Gallery, Cardiff, UK
2000
Jerwood Open Drawing Exhibition, Hull, UK; Kunsthalle Sierre, CH
1999
On the Threshold, Octagon Gallery, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
1998
East International, Norwich, UK
1993
John Moores Painting Prize 18, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
1991
John Moores Painting Prize 17, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
1989
John Moores Painting Prize 16, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
1987
On a Plate, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
1982
British Drawing, Hayward Gallery, London, UK
1977
Tolly Cobbald Open, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK; Sheffield, UK; Ipswich, UK; London, UK
1975
Chichester National Open, UK
1971
John Player Open, Nottingham, UK
1968
Art for Industry, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Arts Council of Northern Ireland Open, Belfast, UK
Ten English Art Galleries, Florence, IT
1964
New Painting 1961-64, Arts Council Touring Exhibition, UK
Three Young Painters from the Royal College of Art, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK
1963
The London Group 1963 ‘Contemporary Image’, Upper Grosvenor Gallery, London, UK
1962
Painting from English Art Schools, 1959 – 62, Paris, FR
1961
New Painting 1958-61, Arts Council Touring Exhibition, UK
1960
University of London Exhibition, UK
1959
Young Contemporaries, London, UK
Arts Council Collection: Recent Acquisitions, Arts Council Touring Exhibition, UK
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2016
Flat Surface Painting, Spike Island, Bristol, UK Barry Schwabsky ed., Vitamin P, Phaidon Press, London, UK
2015
Barry Schwabsky ed., Tightrope Walk: Painted Images after Abstraction, White Cube, London, UK
2005
Hymn-Psalm-Song-Prayer: Bench Paintings, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK
1996
Bench Paintings 1992-1995, Arnolfini Gallery and Oriel 31, London, UK
SELECTED ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
2017
A.Price “On The Leper Squint Paintings of Michael Simpson”, Journal of Contemporary Painting, Spring
H.Pietsch, “Metaphysische Räume - Michael Simpson, (Metaphysical Spaces)”, ART - Das Kunstmagazin, February
M. Herbert, “Michael Simpson”, Art Review, September
2016
A. Wallace-Thomson, “Revolt of the Sage”, Art Forum, December
L. Buck, “Commercial Success: The trio of independent galleries showcasing thought-provoking shows”, The Telegraph, December M.Brown, “Michael Simpson wins 2016 John Moores Painting Prize”, The Guardian, July
D. Trigg, “Michael Simpson, Flat Surface Paintings, Spike Island, Art Review, April
M. Wallinger, “Michael Simpson, Flat Surface Paintings”, Spike Island, The Observer, February
P. Carey-Kent, “Michael Simpson, Flat Surface Paintings”, Spike Island, Bristol, Frieze, March
B. Fenner, “Michael Simpson”, Aesthetica Magazine, February/March, #69
L. Buck, “Michael Simpson, Flat Surface Paintings”, Spike Island, Bristol, The Art Newspaper, January
A. Quicho, “Michael Simpson, Flat Surface Paintings”, This is Tomorrow Magazine, March 2015
A. Searle, “Tightrope Walk, White Cube”, The Guardian, December
B. Luke, “Michael Craig Martin”s invited Artists at the R.A. Summer Show”, Evening Standard , June
2014
D. Dalwood, “In conversation with Michael Simpson”, David Roberts Art Foundation, April
W. Pym, “The Confidence Man”, Michael Simpson, David Roberts Art Foundation, April
B. Schwabsky, “Michael Simpson's Bench Paintings”, David Roberts Art Foundation”, April
2013
K. Wright, “Michael Simpson painter”, The Independent, August
2007
J. Lack, “Michael Simpson Recent Paintings”, David Risley Gallery, The Guardian, January
M. Rappolt, “Future Greats, Twenty-five Artists to look out for in 2007”, Art Review , March
B. Schwabsky, “Michael Simpson, David Risley Gallery”, Art Forum, April
R. Harris, “To think is to speculate with images”, Turps Banana, Issue Three, July
1996
J. McEwan, “Michael Simpson, Bench Paintings”. Sunday Telegraph, January
J. Tozer, “Michael Simpson”, Galleries, January
1992
R. Kendall, “The State of the Art”, Apollo Magazine
1985
N. Pollitt, “Michael Simpson at the Serpentine”, City Limits, August
1984
K. Rowat, “Michael Simpson Arnolfini”, The Guardian, January
E. Phelps, “Michael Simpson, Arnolfini Gallery”, Arts Review, January
A. Sheldon, “Michael Simpson Paintings 1980-83”, Venue, January
L. Biggs, “Michael Simpson Paintings 1980-83”, The Arnolfini Review, January
1982
F. Spalding, "The Hayward Annual", Times Literary Supplement, August
1975
T. Gleadow, “Michael Simpson”, Southern Arts, April
1968
M. Vaizey, “Michael Simpson”, Arts News and Review, April
N. Lynton, “Michael Simpson”, The Guardian, April
D. Blady, “Michael Simpson”, New York Herald Tribune, April
Anon, “Michael Simpson”, Financial Times, April
J. Russell, “Michael Simpson”, Sunday Times, April
1960
W. Van der Eyken, “London University Exhibition”, London Evening Standard, April
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Arts Council England, London, UK
Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Lisburn, IE
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, UK
British Council Collection, London, UK
Camden Borough Council, London, UK
Carlisle Art Gallery and Museum, UK
Control Techniques, The Arup Building, London, UK
David Roberts Arts Foundation, London, UK
The Ekard Collection, Wassenaar, NL
Lim Collection, Hong Kong, HK
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, DK
Royal College of Art, London, UK
Southern Arts Association, University of Oxford, UK
The Stuyvesant Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
Tate, London, UK
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Cumbria, UK
Ulster Museum and Art Gallery, Belfast, IE
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK