About

  • Ian Davenport was born in Kent, England, in 1966. He graduated from Goldsmiths College of Art, London, in 1988 and...

    Ian Davenport was born in Kent, England, in 1966. He graduated from Goldsmiths College of Art, London, in 1988 and as one of the generation of Young British Artists; he participated in the seminal 1988 exhibition Freeze. In 1991 he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize, for which he remains the youngest ever nominee, and in 1999 was a prize winner in the John Moores Exhibition, Liverpool. Two years after graduating Davenport had his first solo show at Waddington Galleries, London, in 1990.Ian Davenport is well known for his abstract paintings, which explore process and materiality. In recent years his work has consisted of carefully poured lines of acrylic paint down a surface, which puddle and pool at the bottom. This technique allows him to explore complex arrangements of line and colour. Over the past ten years he has turned his attention to screenprinting and etching, building up an impressive body of graphic work.Davenport has exhibited extensively across the world, including major institutional shows at Dundee Contemporary Arts 1999 Ikon Gallery, Birmingham 2004); Tate Liverpool 2000 and Dallas Contemporary, Texas 2018. He has completed major commissions including Poured Lines Southwark Street, London 2006, a 48 metre wide painting on a bridge which is one of the largest permanent public artworks in the UK. 

  • At the 2017 Venice Biennale he presented an installation of over 1,000 stripes, a commission by Swatch, together with a...

    At the 2017 Venice Biennale he presented an installation of over 1,000 stripes, a commission by Swatch, together with a Swatch Art special watch. In 2016 he hand-painted a series of porcelain plates in collaboration with Meissen, commissioned by South London Gallery, designed a special edition bag for Christian Diors Lady Art project. In 2010 he completed a residency programme at The Josef and Annie Albers Foundation in Connecticut, USA.His work is held in important museum collections including, Arts Council of Great Britain Tate, London Centre Pompidou, Paris National Museum Wales, Cardiff Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal Museum of Modern Art, La Spezia Borusan Art Gallery, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, New York and Dallas Museum of Art, Texas. The first monograph of his work was published by Thames Hudson in 2014.Cristea Roberts Gallery is the exclusive worldwide representative for Ian Davenports original prints.

  • "I trust my eyes. I dont really buy into the theory of colour”
    - Ian Davenport, 2018
  • Monograph

    • The first monograph dedicated to Ian Davenport, this richly illustrated book provides a comprehensive account of the artist’s career. Charting...

      The first monograph dedicated to Ian Davenport, this richly illustrated book provides a comprehensive account of the artist’s career. Charting a history of intensely rigorous and unconventional painting processes, Martin Filler guides the reader through twenty-five years of artistic production. From early electric-fan paintings, to his poured arches, circles, lines and puddle paintings, we see how Davenport has experimented with method and medium, exploring varying qualities and applications of paint, both in his early monochrome paintings and in his later complex colour combinations.

      Filler demonstrates the strong influence of European and American abstraction, including such artists as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Ellsworth Kelly, while also showing how Davenport has been affected by the contemporary urban environment of London today. Michael Bracewell’s interview provides a crucial insight into Davenport’s approach to painting, along with his own personal account of his artistic achievements. Their conversation reveals Davenport’s ideas, observations and humour.

      Buy

  • CV

    Education
    1966
    Born 8 July, Kent

    1984-85
    Northwich College of Art and Design, Cheshire

    1985-88
    Goldsmiths College of Art, London (B.A. Fine Art)

    SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
    2024
    Pathway, Cristea Roberts, London

    2023
    Lake, Waddington Custot, London
    Works on Paper, Burton at Bideford, Devon

    2022
    Mirrors, Luca Tommasi, Milan
    Mirrors and Lights, Galerie Andres Thalmann, Zurich

    2021
    Colour Explosion, Haas & Gschwandtner, Salzburg

    2020
    Chromatic, Cristea Roberts, London
    NEW WORK: Ian Davenport, Waddington Custot, online exhibition
    Sequence, Kasmin Gallery, New York

    2019
    Synesthesia, Luca Tommasi, Milan

    2018
    New Works on Paper, Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam
    Horizons, Dallas Contemporary, Texas
    Colourscapes, Waddington Custot, London

    2017–18
    Cascade, Custot Gallery, Dubai

    2017
    Melismatic, Alan Cristea Gallery, London

    2016
    Cadence, Galerie Andres Thalmann, Zurich 
    Galleria Tega, Milan 
    Doubletake, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York

    2015 
    Pace Prints, New York (prints) 
    Dan Galeria, São PauloGalerie Flore, BrusselsMelismatic, Galerie Xippas, Geneva

    2013 
    Colorfall, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York 

    2012 
    Between the Lines, Art Plural Gallery, SingaporeGalerie Andres Thalmann, Zurich
    Reflex, Giacomo Guidi Arte Contemporanea, Rome

    2011 
    Pavillion des Artes et du Design, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, and Galerie Hopkins, Paris 
    Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow, Waddington Custot Galleries, London 
    Prismatic, Alan Cristea Gallery, London

    2010 
    allerArt Bludenz, AustriaGalerie Slewe, Amsterdam 

    2009 
    Fabstraction, Alan Cristea Gallery, London (prints)
    Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York 
    Puddle Paintings, Waddington Galleries, London

    2008 
    Poured Lines, Waddington Galleries, London 
    Gallery Hakgojae, Seoul, Korea 
    Ian Davenport & The Simpsons, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh

    2006 
    Ovals Arches Lines, Alan Cristea Gallery, London (prints) 

    2005 
    Galerie Slewe, Amsterdam 
    Galerie Xippas, Paris 

    2004 
    Ikon Gallery, Birmingham 

    2003 
    Waddington Galleries, London 
    Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 

    2001 
    The Box Associati, Turin 
    Galerie Xippas, Paris 
    Galerie Slewe, Amsterdam

    2000 
    Waddington Galleries, London 
    Tate Liverpool, Liverpool 

    1999 
    Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee 
    Patrick De Brock Gallery, Knokke, Belgium 

    1998 
    Galerie Xippas, Paris 

    1997 
    Galerie Limmer, Cologne 
    Galleria Moncada, Rome

    1996 
    Statements, Waddington Galleries 
    Art 27 ’96, Basel
    Ridinghouse Editions, London
    Waddington Galleries, London

    1994 
    Turner & Byrne Gallery, Dallas, Texas 

    1993 
    Waddington Galleries, London 

    1992 
    Galerie Ludwig, Krefeld, Germany 
    Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin 
    Galerie Limmer, Freiburg, Germany
    Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York 

    1990 
    Waddington Galleries, London


    SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
    2024

    True Colours, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Netherlands
    Chromascopic, A.P.T, London

    2023
    Sediment, Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam
    Modern and Contemporary, Waddington Custot, London

    2022
    Crazy, Chiostro Del Bramante, Rome
    Summer Exhibition, Carling Dalenson, Stockholm

    2021
    Artists of the Gallery - Christmas Edition, Gallery Andres Thalmann, Zurich
    British Abstraction, Gazelli Art House, London
    Colourspace, Mucciaccia Gallery, Rome

    2020
    Momentum, Museum Voorlinden, Netherlands
    Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London
    Ian Davenport and Peter Monaghan, Gormleys Fine Art, Dublin
    Summer Exhibition, Cristea Roberts, London
    Colour in Motion, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
    Best of British - Modern and Contemporary Masterpieces, Private and Public, Jersey
    we are here!, Galerie Haas & Gschwandtner, Salzburg

    2019
    The Interaction of Colour, Cristea Roberts, London
    Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London

    2018
    Scorribanda, Galleria Nazionale Arte Moderna, Rome
    A misura d’uomo: Tribute to Leonardo, Luca Tommasi Arte Contemporanea, Milan
    Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London
    Line, Form and Colour - Works from the Berardo Collection, Museu Coleçao Berardo, Lisbon

    2017
    Pearls, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
    All Over, Galeries des Galeries, Galeries Lafayette, Paris
    The World Meets Here, Custot Gallery Dubai
    Colour Is, Waddington Custot, London

    2016
    Seeing Round Corners, Turner Contemporary, Margate
    Pool, The Studio Building, London
    The World Meets Here, Custot Gallery Dubai

    2015 
    Right Now!, Mission Gallery, Swansea 
    British Artists, Galerie Andres Thalmann, Zürich 
    At First Light, Luca Tommasi: Arte Contemporanea, Milan 
    Black Paintings, Charlie Smith, London 
    Autumn Group Show, Waddington Custot, London
     
    2014 
    Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London 

    2013–14 
    Hidden in Plain Sight: British Abstract Art from the Collection, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery

    2013 
    Thirteen, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    Linear Abstraction, Alan Cristea Gallery, London
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 
    Once upon a time and what a very good time it was…, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 

    2012
    Means Without Ends, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London 
    Sweethearts, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 
    The Materiality of Paint, The Fine Art Society, London 
    Duchamp and Cage: 100 Years Later, The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout, SuffolkRoute 66: Ian Davenport / Alberto Di Fabio, Luca Tommasi, Monza 

    2011–12 
    Editions & Acquisitions, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    UK and US Contemporary Artists, Galeria Pilar Serra, Madrid 

    2011 
    Why Patterns?, Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam 
    I Promise to Love You: Caldic Collection, Kunsthal Rotterdam 
    Lineage, Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh 
    Gravity’s Rainbow, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 

    2010–11 
    John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize 

    2010 
    Exhibition, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 

    2010 
    The Future Demands Your Participation: Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection, Minsheng ArtMuseum, Shanghai
    Pictures on Pictures: Discursive Painting from Albers to Zobernig from the Daimler Art Collection, MuseumModerner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna 
    Ian Davenport, Mark Francis, Peter Halley and Dan Walsh: Abstract Vision Now, Art + Art Gallery, Moscow 
    Derek Jarman Building, University of Kent, Canterbury (prints) 
    Art – curated by Michael Craig-Martin, Haas and Fuchs, BerlinSave Us, Macclesfield Visual Arts Festival 
    John Moores Prize Paintings in Korea, Seongnam Art Centre, Korea 
    Abstraction and Structure, with paintings by Ian Davenport, Katharina Grosse, Joanne Greenbaum, FrankNitsche, Albrecht Schnider, Esther Stocker, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt 
    Paintings in Hospitals: Colouring in the Clinical, Menier Gallery, London 
    Eleven, Alan Cristea Gallery, London (prints)
    Summer Exhibition, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London
    Process/Abstraction, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New YorkCREAM (Damien Hirst & Contemporaries), KIASMA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
    FAST FORWARD British Contemporary Art in Brazil, Espaço David Ford – Brazilian British Centre Galleries,Pinheiros, Brazil

    2009 
    Contemporary Prints: Including Lichtenstein,Davenport, Opie, Alan Cristea Gallery, London
    Northern Print Biennale, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (prints) 
    Setting the Pattern, Koraalberg Contemporary Art, AntwerpIan Davenport Michael Craig-Martin Julian Opie: Múltiple, Galeria Estiarte, Madrid 

    2008 
    Blitzkrieg Bop, Man&Eve Gallery, London20 at The Hospital Club, The Hospital Club Gallery, London 
    Weight Watchers, Galerie Xippas, Paris 
    New Gallery Editions, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 
    New Contemporary Art Displays, Tate Britain, London 
    Cover Versions, Ermenegildo Zegna, Milan (organized by Wallpaper magazine) 

    2007 
    Painting in the Noughties, Regional Cultural Arts Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal 
    The Jerwood Drawing Prize 2007, Jerwood Space, London 
    Turner Prize A Retrospective 1984–2006, Tate Britain, London 
    New Space New Work, Alan Cristea Gallery, London (prints) 
    Between the Lines, Gallery Hakgojae, Seoul, Korea (prints)A Summer Selection, Crane Kalman Gallery, London 
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 

    2006–2008 
    Drawing Breath, The Jerwood Drawing Prize – Special Exhibition, Wimbledon College of Art, London 

    2006–2007 
    You’ll Never Know: Drawing and Random Interference (Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition), HarrisMuseum and Art Gallery, Preston; touring to Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea; Lowry, Salford; New ArtGallery, Walsall; Tullie House Museum, Carlisle 

    2006 
    Passion for Paint, National Gallery, London, Bristol’s City Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol, Laing Art Gallery,Newcastle 
    Artists + Alchemists, Sherborne House, Sherborne, DorsetCompilation 2, Rocket Gallery, London
    How to Improve the World: British Art 1946–2006, Arts Council Collection, Hayward Gallery, London 
    Concrete Matters, Nieuwe Vide Gallery, Haarlem, The Netherlands 
    Thread, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 
    Abstract Painting and the University of Warwick Art Collection, Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, Warwick 
    Monochromed, The Fine Art Society, London 
    Edition, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 
    Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London 
    “The hardest thing to draw is a kiss.” Wimbledon School of Art, London (curated by David Austen) 
    Compilation 3, Rocket Gallery, London 

    2005 
    Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, Blue?, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 
    Minimalism and After IV, DaimlerChrysler
    Contemporary, BerlinPainting : London, Gallery Holly Snapp, Venice
    Ian Davenport, Kaoru Tsunoda, Rachmaninoff’s, London 
    Elements of Abstraction, Southampton City Art Gallery

    2004 
    Painting as Process: Re-evaluating Painting, Earl Lu Gallery, LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, Singapore 
    Other Times: Contemporary British Art, City Gallery, Prague (in association with the British Council) 
    Post Impact, Xippas Gallery, AthensJohn Moores 23, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 

    2003 
    Days Like These: Tate Triennial of Contemporary British Art, Tate Britain, London 
    Blanc en Blanc, Galerie Xippas, ParisExodus: between promise and fulfilment, Kettle’s Yard, CambridgeCircular, Rocket Gallery, London 
    Prints Published by the Alan Cristea Gallery, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    On, Xippas Gallery, Athens 

    2002 
    In the Freud Museum, Freud Museum, London 
    Prospects 2002 Contemporary Drawing Exhibition, Essor Project Space, London (sponsored by PizzaExpress) 
    Super-Abstr-Action 2, Galerie No Code, Bologna
    Inheriting Matisse: The Decorative Contour in Contemporary Art, Rocket Gallery, London
    Peintures – contrainte ou recette, Galerie du Cloître, Rennes (organised by L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Rennes)Slewe Galerie, Amsterdam
    Abstraction, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh 
    John Moores 22, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (part of the Liverpool Biennial 2002) 
    Jerwood Drawing Prize, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham; touring to other UK venues includingJerwood Space, London
    Berlin/London/Minimal, Galerie Markus Richter, Berlin 
    New Commissions, Alan Cristea Gallery, London 
    Colour – A Life of Its Own, Mücsarnok, Kunsthalle Budapest, Budapest, Hungary 

    2001 
    Complementary Studies: Recent Abstract Painting, Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston 
    British Abstract Painting 2001, Flowers East, London 
    Jerwood Painting Prize, Jerwood Gallery, London; touring to Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow 
    UBS Warburg Exhibition, UBS Warburg at Planit Arches, London 

    2000 
    Surface, An Tuireann, Isle of Skye, ScotlandFact & Value, Charlottenborg Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark 
    Profiles of Young European Painting, Premio del Golfo, La Spezia, Italy 

    1999 
    Examining Pictures, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; touring to Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago 
    Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
    A Line in Painting, Gallery Fine, London 
    John Moores Liverpool 21, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 
    Now Showing II, Houldsworth Fine Art, London 
    21 Years of Spacex, Spacex Gallery, Exeter 

    1998 
    Elegant Austerity, Waddington Galleries, London
    Up to 2000, Southampton City Art GalleryRoberto Caracciolo, Ian Davenport, Galleria Moncada, Rome

    1997
    Treasure Island, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon 
    Ian Davenport, Michael Craig-Martin, Zebedee Jones, Michael Landy and Fiona Rae, Waddington Galleries,London 
    Finish, Spacex Gallery, Exeter 

    1996–98 
    About Vision: New British Painting in the 1990s, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford; touring to The FruitmarketGallery, Edinburgh; Wolsey Art Gallery, Ipswich; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne 

    1996–97 
    Ace! Arts Council Collection new purchases, South Bank Centre exhibition touring to Hatton Gallery,Newcastle upon Tyne; Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston; Oldham Art Gallery; Hayward Gallery,London; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield; Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham; OrmeauBaths Gallery, Belfast; Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol 

    1996 
    Nuevas Abstracciones, Palacio de Velázquez, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; touringto Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany; Museu d’Art Contemporani, Barcelona50 Jahre Kunst- und Museumsverein Wuppertal, Kunsthalle Barmen, Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany 
    British Abstract Art Part 3: Works on Paper, Flowers East, London 

    1995–96 
    Real Art – A New Modernism: British Reflexive Painters in the 1990s, Southampton City Art Gallery; touringto Stedelijk Museum, Aalst, Belgium; Leeds City Art Gallery 

    1995 
    From Here, Waddington Galleries and Karsten Schubert, London30 Years of Northern Young Contemporaries,Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester 

    1994 
    Here and Now, Serpentine Gallery, London 
    British Abstract Art Part 1: Painting, Flowers East, London 
    Summer 94, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York 
    British Painting 1988–1994: a selection from stock, Richard Salmon Ltd, London 

    1992–97 
    New Voices: recent paintings from the British Council collection, British Council exhibition: touring to Centrede Conferences Albert Borschette, Brussels; EEC Presidency Exhibition, Brussels; Musée National d’Histoireet d’Art, Luxembourg; Istanbul Greater City Municipality Taksim Art Gallery; Ankara State Fine Arts Gallery;Izfas Gallery, Izmir, Turkey; Santa Monica Contemporary Art Centre, Barcelona; Museo de Bellas Artes,Bilbao, Spain; Centro Cultural Galileo, Madrid; Veronicas: Sala de Exposiciones, Murcia, Spain; PescaderiaVieja: Sala de Arte, Jerez, Spain; Kulturhistorisches Museum, Magdeburg, Germany; National TheatreGalleries, Bucharest, Romania; Art Halls of the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Athens, Athens; CulturalCentre for the National Bank of Greece, Thessaloniki; The Russian Museum, St Petersburg; KremlinMuseum, Nizhnii Novgorod, Russia; Mirbachov Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia; Cultural Centre for the NationalBank, Thessaloniki, Greece; The House of the Black Madonna, Czech Museum of Fine Arts, Prague;Museum of Modern Art, Skopje, Macedonia 

    1992 
    The Vertical Flatbed Picture Plane – En Valise, Turner & Byrne Gallery, Dallas, Texas 
    Dumb Painting, Centraal Museum, UtrechtL’Attico, Fabio Sargentini, Rome 
    Gifts to the Nation: Contemporary Art SocietyPurchases, Camden Arts Centre, London

    1991–92
    Confrontaciones: Arte ultimo britanico y espanol, Instituto de la Juventud, Madrid (in collaboration with theBritish Council) 

    1991 
    British Art from 1930, Waddington Galleries, London 
    Metropolis Internationale Kunstausstellung, Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin 
    Broken English, Serpentine Gallery, London 
    Ian Davenport, Stephen Ellis, James Nares, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York 
    Abstraction, Waddington Galleries, LondonTurner Prize Exhibition, Tate Gallery, London 
    New Displays, Tate Gallery, LondonGalerie Fahnemann, Berlin1990–91Carnet de Voyages - 1, Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Jouy-en-Josas, France1990The British Art Show, McLellan Galleries, Glasgow; touring to Leeds City Art Gallery; Hayward Gallery,London 
    Painting Alone, Pace Gallery, New York 

    1989 
    Current, Swansea Arts Workshop (Old Seamen’s Chapel), SwanseaWest Norwood 1, West Norwood Railway Arches(7, 8, 9), London 

    1988 
    Freeze, Surrey Docks, London 
    Ian Davenport, Gary Hume, Michael Landy, Karsten Schubert Gallery, London 

    1985 
    Young Contemporaries, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester