NEW AT THE MADDOX GALLERY: 'A NEW OPTIMISM' BY BRITISH ARTIST DAN BALDWIN
A New Optimism, the latest work by British artist Dan Baldwin, opens at Maddox Gallery Westbourne Grove on March 16th 2018. A New Optimism was conceived during the turbulent months of the Trump election campaign and serves as the artist’s stance against a darkening global mood. Coinciding as it did with the artist breaking out of his small windowless studio after ten years and moving instead to a new large sun- filled space, embracing a fresh perspective of both scale and colour.
These new paintings reflect both the physical journey out from the darkness into the light and a metaphysical journey characterised by an exciting new optimism. Paintings on raw linen using deep washes of loose colour, children in forests and landscapes. Baldwin’s dreamlike allegorical canvasses evoke ideas of nostalgia and memory, innocence and love with a colour spectrum inspired by recent travels to the Greek Island of Lefkas and time spent in Rome in autumn 2017.
Synonymous with the provocative British art scene and a contemporary of artists such as Banksy, Tracey Emin and The Chapman Brothers, Baldwin has quietly garnered a reputation to match, becoming an established figure in the art world with a global following.
Born in Manchester in 1972, Dan initially studied at Eastbourne College of Art before completing a BA in Illustration from the Kent Institute of Art. He has since gone on to become one of the most prominent artists working in the UK today, with his multi- dimensional and ethereal work is found in international collections and institutions around the world. Now collected by his own major influences Damien Hirst, Gilbert & George and Peter Blake, Baldwin is now celebrated as one of the leading British artists of his generation.
“We have had to adopt fast to changes in both how we see ourselves and how we are
perceived by the outside world resulting in a profound shift in our universal
consciousness.” - Dan Baldwin
“Looking at Dan’s work is like meeting old friends for me. It looks as though at some point in our careers we used the same casting agency. I am flattered that Dan writes that he was influenced by my work. It’s fascinating to see Mickey and all the chaps used in a newer different way, and I have really enjoyed his work.” - Sir Peter Blake
About the Gallery
Maddox Gallery is fast emerging as one of the most stylish young international contemporary art destinations. A chain of galleries specialising in contemporary and modern art, Maddox Gallery has built a reputation for sourcing and exhibiting exclusive, cutting-edge art from international acclaimed and emerging artists.
Maddox Gallery has three London locations, the first a beautiful 3750 square foot Victorian townhouse in Mayfair’s Maddox Street, the second in the heart of Shepherd Market and the third, a 4000 square foot gallery in Westbourne Grove. They recently opened their first gallery outside of the UK in the alpine ski resort of Gstaad. Their roster of cutting edge international contemporary artists and photographers includes Dan Baldwin, David Yarrow, Bradley Theodore, RETNA, The Connor Brothers, Danny Minnick, Massimo Agostinelli, Chris Moon, Tyler Shields, Tony Kelly, Bran Symondson and Michael Moebius.
