Michael Rothenstein RA (1908 - 1993)
Exploding the Boundaries: Paintings and Original Prints
This unique collection of paintings and original linocut prints by Michael Rothenstein, who was perhaps the most experimental British graphic artist of the 20th century, has been curated in collaboration with Rothenstein’s estate. The exhibition is accompanied by a major new illustrated book, written by Mel Gooding. This artist’s works are distinctive and iconic and in collections such as The Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
This exhibition coincides with the launch of a new monograph on this artist by
Mel Gooding. The fully illustrated 110 page book can be purchased from the gallery for just £10. To reserve your copy, please email gallery@davidsimoncontemporary.com or telephone 01963 359102
Tractor and Plough
oil on canvas, 1942
signed
61 x 92cm
Scrap Metal
watercolour and ink
signed
Three Birds and a Worm
woodcut, edition 34/50
70 x 60cm
Born in Hampstead, London, on 19 March 1908, Rothenstein studied at Chelsea Polytechnic and Central School of Arts and Crafts, 1924-27. He had his first one-man show in 1938 and during World War II participated in the Pilgrim Trust Recording Britain project. After the war, he taught printmaking at Camberwell School of Art and was Art Fellow at Sheffield University in 1962.
Rothenstein became one of the most experimental printmakers in Britain during the ‘50s and ’60s. As well as found objects such as wood offcuts and metal debris, he incorporated fresh 20th century
imagery into his relief prints, combining photographic material with traditional woodcuts and linocuts. Numerous major galleries currently hold his work, including The Tate Gallery, Victoria and
Albert Museum, The British Museum, National Gallery of Scotland and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. He was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and elected RA in
1983.
David Simon Contemporary is delighted to present an exhibition featuring some forty paintings and original lino-cut prints. This exhibition coincides with the launch of a new book on Rothenstein's
work by Mel Gooding.