Gary Hume RA (b.1962) is one of the foremost British painters of the last 40 years. In this new book, Martin Gayford explores the evolution of the artist's oeuvre and examines the opportunities and dilemmas that helped to shape Hume's singular pathway. Profusely illustrated, the book underlines Hume's important and unique contribution to British contemporary art and provides a fascinating window into the creation of a rich and varied body of work.
Hume came to prominence alongside other artists associated with the Young British Artists generation and his work, often completed using high-gloss industrial paint, fuses high-modernist abstract formalism with an enigmatic, sign-like quality. Although his early work was concerned with the representation of hospital doors, Hume's restless spirit has led him to continue to probe and experiment with his chosen medium and expand his subject matter - from snowmen and wonky wheels to birds, flowers and people.
1. Introduction;
2. The education of a Young British Artist;
3. Through
the doors;
4. Putting a gloss on things;
5. Blackbirds and snowmen;
6. Nests,
nudes and angels;
7. Reflections;
8. Americana;
9. Beauty and anxiety;
10.
Dreaming of swans; Select bibliography; Biography; Select solo and group
exhibitions; Public collections; Acknowledgements; Index
Martin Gayford is an art historian, writer and art critic. He is the author of critically acclaimed biographical studies on Van Gogh, Constable and Michelangelo and has been art critic of The Spectator and The Sunday Telegraph. He has written extensively on contemporary art. His most recent book, How Painting Happens (2024), includes observations and work by Gary Hume.
