Shire Pottery Gallery and Studios is delighted to confirm an extraordinary commitment from one of Europe’s most important graphic artists. Following on from his highly acclaimed Retrospective at the Royal National Theatre, Andrzej Klimowski will be showing paintings, prints and publications in a stunning solo exhibition in Alnwick, Northumberland.
Head of Illustration at the Royal College of Art, Klimowski is enthusiastic about bringing his work up to Northumberland, indeed he has produced paintings especially for this exhibition. This artistic coup for the region is due in the main to an introduction by James Hogan, of theatrical publishers Oberon Books Ltd.
"You’ll never catch him…. He leads the field by a very long furlong, out on his own" Harold Pinter, December 2001
Klimowski’s singular approach to the design of book covers, theatre programmes, film posters and newspaper articles, developed over a period of 25 years, uses techniques of collage, photomontage, linocut and brush and ink. Wittily subversive and sexy, Klimowski’s challenging imagery often draws on Polish mythologies surrounding angels, fairies and demons. In Poland he says angels are part of everyday life.
His work has more than once courted controversy, such as when his 1981 art film poster ‘The Phantom of Liberty’ was banned by the London Underground. His stark 2001 full-page press advertisements for the RSPCA shocked. His cover designs for Oberon Books and Faber & Faber - memorable amongst them those for Milan Kundera, Harold Pinter and Dennis Potter - may be more familiar than his name. Klimowski’s influence is pervasive.
"Images without tension are purely decorative or formal" Andrzej Klimowski
Of Polish extraction, Andrzej Klimowski was born in London in 1949. His studies at St. Martins College of Art and Design led him to Warsaw where he worked under two masters of poster design and film animation. By 1980 Klimowski had become a leading exponent of the ‘Polish School’ of poster design. His return to London and his appointment at the Royal College began his parallel career as an outstanding teacher.
Andrzej Klimowski recently celebrated the publication of his new book "The Secret," a text without words (Faber & Faber), with a presentation and talk at the Polish Cultural Institute. He will be attending the Saturday 18 May Preview day of "Day for Night" at the Shire Pottery Gallery from 11 am - 3pm and will sign copies of his book.
Related Links:
