Joe Tilson, the renowned British artist and key figure of the British Pop Art movement, has passed away at 95. His family and Cristea Roberts Gallery, which co-represents the artist with Marlborough Gallery, confirmed his death in a statement. Cristea Roberts hailed Tilson as “one of the founding figures of British Pop [and] an enthusiastic proponent of political activism, sexual liberation, and social change.”
Born in south London in 1928, Tilson worked jobs in carpentry and service in the Royal Air Force before studying at St. Martin’s School of Art. There, he joined the emerging British Pop Art movement. Around this time, he befriended a group of young artists, including Peter Blake, Allen Jones, Patrick Caulfield, and David Hockney.
By the 1960s, Tilson moved away from Pop Art, frustrated by the lack of political action in the movement. Instead, he realigned his focus on Greek mythology and Indigenous cultures. His work was also influenced by his time living in Italy.
Known for his inventive printmaking, Tilson held exhibitions worldwide, and his work is featured in significant collections, including the Tate in London. In 2019, the artist presented an installation at the Venice Biennale, created in partnership with Swatch. That year, he was also awarded the Charles Wollaston Award for the most distinguished work shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
In recent years, Tilson’s work has experienced a surge in popularity, presented this year in solo exhibitions at both Cristea Roberts and Marlborough. Meanwhile, a new monograph by Marco Livingstone and published by Lund Humphries in 2023 highlighted Tilson’s contributions to printmaking and the art world.
from Artsy News https://ift.tt/Dxtl3y1
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