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Reflex Amsterdam
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Michael Craig-Martin

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b. 1941, Ireland

Quotidian objects are draped in vibrant colours on Michael Craig-Martin's paintings. High heels, blenders, shirts, and caps become sculptural as they are depicted in bold outlines. The dazzling colour planes contrast the minimalism of the line, sharply demarcating one colour plane from the other. Craig-Martin's vigorous draftsmanship, attentive eye, and observant replication of 'things' render the familiar iconic by his audacious minimalism. Exciting and daunting, his paintings entice their audience to look again.

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The artist traversed several mediums but made the shift to painting in the 1990s. The precise, exacting outlines are produced by carefully layering tape and paint, while the colour choices result from his artistic acumen. All paintings are made with acrylic on aluminium in Craig-Martin's dynamic hallmark style. Additionally, since 2011 the artist has been exploring powder-coated steel sculptures that are monumental in size. Appearing like thin lines in the air, they resemble large line drawings.

Martin Craig-Martin (1941, Dublin) attended Fordham University, New York (1959–1961) and Yale University (BA, 1963; MFA, 1966). He returned to Europe in the mid-60s, becoming a primary figure in British conceptual art, and by teaching at Goldsmiths College School of Art, London, (1974–1988; 1994–2000) he became influential on a generation of his students, including Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas, and Damien Hirst, who became known as the Young British Artists. His works are held in major collections worldwide.

Craig-Martin lives and works in London, UK.

Text courtesy Reflex Amsterdam.

Recent Exhibitions

Contemporary art exhibition, Michael Craig-Martin, All Things Considered at Reflex Amsterdam, Netherlands Closed 2 October 2021–2 February 2022 Michael Craig-Martin All Things Considered Amsterdam
Contemporary art exhibition, Group Exhibition, In Times of Plenty: The Shape of Things Today at Reflex Amsterdam, Netherlands Closed 7 July–4 September 2018 Group Exhibition In Times of Plenty: The Shape of Things Today Amsterdam

Recent Artworks

Untitled (high heel) by Michael Craig-Martin contemporary artwork painting
Michael Craig-Martin Untitled (high heel), 2013 Acrylic on aluminium
60 x 60 cm
Reflex Amsterdam Contact Gallery
Untitled (robot floor cleaner) by Michael Craig-Martin contemporary artwork painting
Michael Craig-Martin Untitled (robot floor cleaner), 2014 Acrylic on aluminium
122 x 122 cm
Reflex Amsterdam Contact Gallery

Michael Craig-Martin In Ocula Magazine

Graceland Shows Covid Horror Paintings in Haunted Motel Ocula News Graceland Shows Covid Horror Paintings in Haunted Motel London, 3 November 2020

The British artist, who studied 3D digital design and animation at Hampstead Fine Arts, also designed the VR exhibition.

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Gilbert & George Resign From Royal Academy of Art Ocula News Gilbert & George Resign From Royal Academy of Art London, 14 July 2020

The Royal Academy described the decision as regrettable.

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Michael Craig-Martin Ocula Conversation Michael Craig-Martin By Sam Gaskin, Shanghai

I make my work to be seen now. It is impossible to predict how it may appear in the future. I would like my paintings to come to feel timeless, despite eventual datedness of many their subjects.

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Michael Craig-Martin In Related Press

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Michael Craig-Martin on Albers, America, and architecture as entertainment Related Press Michael Craig-Martin on Albers, America, and architecture as entertainment 11 February 2019, Wallpaper*

Somewhere in a maze of picket fences, golf greens and lakes, Vero Beach's The Gallery at Windsor is a remote haven for British art world patricians. It's currently two years into a partnership with Lo

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Heads Roll review – an exhibition for narcissists everywhere Related Press Heads Roll review – an exhibition for narcissists everywhere 13 August 2018, The Guardian

Portraiture is an enduring art form, thanks to the narcissistic tendencies of the human race.

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Critic's Guide: Seoul Related Press Critic's Guide: Seoul 20 September 2017, Frieze

This huge retrospective of Krzysztof Wodiczko's work presents everything from his early objects concerning censorship under a Polish socialist government to his 'cultural prosthetics' for the homeless

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SIMPLE SEMIOTICS: INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL CRAIG-MARTIN Related Press SIMPLE SEMIOTICS: INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL CRAIG-MARTIN 10 April 2017, Art Asia Pacific

Craig-Martin developed an eye for composition and color by gazing at the stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals in largely Roman Catholic Dublin.

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Related Press Read More (12) In Related Press

Michael Craig-Martin In Video & Audio

Michael Craig-Martin in conversation with Michael Bracewell Related Video & Audio Michael Craig-Martin in conversation with Michael Bracewell 1 November 2017, Alan Cristea Gallery

Recorded on 1 November 2017 at the Alan Cristea Gallery, London. Artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin speaks to writer, curator and cultural commentator, Michael Bracewell about his latest series of prints

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