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Notes

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Mr Art was painted when Sylvester's public profile had reached a zenith in the early 1960s. 1962 was also the year of Rivers' first exhibition in London at Gimpel Fils. Mr Art demonstrates the apparently spontaneous brushwork that Rivers had adopted from the Abstract Expressionists, although, living in Paris at the time, it may be evidence of the influence of Tachism, allied with his carefully-observed figurative subject matter. This portrait is representative of an era and encapsulates much of the dialogue between the figurative and the abstract that was current at the time. Its fusion of Abstract Expressionism and figuration embodies ideals held by both sitter and artist; ideals that inspired a generation of artists, among them David Hockney.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

David Sylvester ('Mr Art')

Date

1962

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 183 x W 137 cm

Accession number

6675

Acquisition method

Purchased with help from the Art Fund, the estates of Francis Bacon and John Edwards, the Henry Moore Foundation and members of the Sylvester family, 2004