 |
Dudley Edwards (born 1944, Halifax, Yorkshire) is an English painter, draughtsman and applied artist specialising in illustration, textiles, ceramics, murals and photography.
| |
Dudley Edwards (born 1944, Halifax, Yorkshire) is an English painter, draughtsman and applied artist specialising in illustration, textiles, ceramics, murals and photography.
Edwards was born in Halifax, England to Muriel and Jack Edwards and was educated at Halifax School of Art 1960 – 62 and then Bradford College of Art 1962 – 65. [1] He then moved to London, becoming known as an "undisputed protagonist of the London rock scene." [2] [3] He became a significant figure in the London art scene during the 1960s and beyond. His work over the years apart from painting has included graphic design and illustration, murals, textile design, photography, film direction and ceramic arts.
Edwards first came to prominence in the mid-1960's during the Swinging London era, and quickly confirmed his legendary credentials as co-founder of pioneering pop art collective 'Binder, Edwards & Vaughan' aka BEV – a collective consisting of artwork by Douglas Binder and Edwards, [4] with David Vaughan acting as their manager/agent. Binder and Edwards produced vibrantly painted furniture: [5]
In 1965, aged 20, the Guinness heir Tara Browne commissioned BEV to paint his newly acquired AC Cobra (AC 289 Sports) - ‘to give it the treatment’. Brown subsequently introduced BEV to the Beatles. [6] [7] Tragically, Tara Browne was killed in a car accident in 1966 at the young age of 21 (driving a different car). It was his death was the inspiration for "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles. [8]
The Tara Browne AC Cobra was exhibited at the Robert Fraser Gallery in Mayfair and subsequently was the subject of a photo-shoot by Lord Snowdon for both ‘Paris Match’ and ‘Look’ magazines. [6]
One of the most notable pieces that BEV painted was Paul McCartney’s "magic" piano. [1] [9] [10] The piano now resides in his music room in London. According to McCartney writing the songs 'Getting Better', 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'Fixing a Hole' on the decorative piano "added to all the fun of it". [11] The psych-painted instrument is said to have also inspired the 'Hey Jude' album's kaleidoscope aesthetic. BEV were selected to represent the ‘Swinging Sixties’ at Madame Tussauds, in recognition of their artistic contribution to that era. The piano was described by Micky Dolenz of The Monkees as "the freakiest thing you've ever seen". [12]
Group murals appeared everywhere from the boutiques of Kings Road and Carnaby Street to the British Pavilion at Montreal's Expo '67.
1967 also saw Edwards painting murals in the homes of Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, living in their houses for six months. [2]
The collective were renowned for their ground-breaking light shows, including 'The Million Volt Light & Sound Rave' at The Roundhouse in London. This multimedia art, light and sound installation featured the only known public presentation of the 'Carnival of Light' sound collage created by Paul McCartney and John Lennon during recording sessions for their Sgt Pepper album.
The group disbanded in 1967, although their 'architectural work positioned [them] at the forefront of cutting edge Art and Design [that] would go on to inspire the Graffiti and Street Art movements that would develop years later.' [13] Despite their short existence, between 1965 and 1967, the group was described as being 'The Beatles of the art world.' [14]
In 2014, McCartney reused the "magic piano" for a performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. [15]
Later that year Dudley Edwards and Michael McInnerney merged their identity together as ‘OM Tentacle’, named after the OM sound, or OM point at the beginning of creation, according to Buddhist and Hindu teachings. OM Tentacle painted the front of Flying Dragon Tea House 436 Kings Road, Chelsea, and made a number of psychedelic posters, record covers and book jackets, including the poster for the La Fenetre Rose concert in Paris and illustrations for 'The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics.' [1]
When OM Tentacle disbanded Edwards went on to co-direct (with Martin Cook) a documentary film ‘FRED’ about a devotee of Meher Baba for Pete Townshend. [1] In the intervening years he continued to Illustrate Record Covers, book jackets, magazines and posters. These were interspersed with commissions from other genres. In the summer of 1975 he was commissioned by Stan Peskett to photograph the Harlem Ballet in New York's Rockefeller Plaza for Yves St Laurent. [5] In 1982 Sheik Abdul Aziz-Zaidan commissioned him to paint a huge ceramic mural for his palace in Al Karj, and then - again working with Douglas Binder in 1976 he created a suite of sixteen ceramic murals for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense HQ in Riyadh. [16]
Dudley Edwards has taught at Hornsey College of Art, Stafford College of Art, Bradford College of Art. Leeds Metropolitan University and Cleveland College of Art. He has been a guest speaker at The Royal College of Art, London; The Commonwealth Institute, London; In Australia at Swinburne University, South Wales University and The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, In India at the NiA institute, Delhi; and in Ireland at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin.
In 1995 Edwards joined family business ‘AMAZED Ltd’ which his partner Madeleine Edwards had started previously. The couple create rugs and wall hangings for celebrities and the Big Brother house. [2] Items of their textile collections have been part of exhibitions in the modern art gallery Tate Liverpool and the V&A, London: England See below for citation.
Dudley still continues to produce work and has exhibited at:
Arts Council Touring Exhibition to Edinburgh, Glasgow & Cardiff; Galerie 5, Geneva, Switzerland; Association of Illustrators Gallery, London; England & Co, London; the Musee d’ Histoire Contemporaine, Paris; Brighton Art Gallery; Red House Gallery, Harrogate; The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Tate Gallery, Liverpool; and Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; the Whitney Museum of Art, New York, The Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough Mills, Halifax. Redhouse Originals, Harrogate; England. [17]
Since 2009, Edwards has continued to paint and his diverse output has continued to excite critics. His work has been exhibited in notable galleries throughout the world including the Robert Fraser Gallery in London and Galerie 5 in Geneva. Touring exhibitions have included the V&A, Tate Liverpool, Schirn Kunsthalle, Kunsthalle Wien, The Musee d'Histoire Contemporaine, and the Whitney Museum of Art.
Edwards has been a guest speaker at a number of renowned art institutions, including The Royal College of Art, The Commonwealth Institute in London, National College of Art & Design, and the NiA Institute in Delhi.
He recently filmed for Michael Cain's 2017 film My Generation.
Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe was a British painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist of the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art. Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name "Beetles" (sic), as they both liked Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. They also had a fascination with group names with double meanings, so Lennon then came up with "The Beatles", from the word beat. As a member of the group when it was a five-piece band, Sutcliffe is one of several who are sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Beatle".
Ian Davenport is an English abstract painter and former Turner Prize nominee.
Edward Bawden, was an English painter, illustrator and graphic artist, known for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture. Bawden taught at the Royal College of Art, where he had been a student, worked as a commercial artist and served as a war artist in World War II. He was a fine watercolour painter but worked in many different media. He illustrated several books and painted murals in both the 1930s and 1960s. He was admired by Edward Gorey, David Gentleman and other graphic artists, and his work and career is often associated with that of his contemporary Eric Ravilious.
"Carnival of Light" is an unreleased avant-garde recording by the English rock band the Beatles. It was commissioned for the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave, an event held at the Roundhouse in London on 28 January and 4 February 1967. Recorded during a session for the song "Penny Lane", "Carnival of Light" is nearly 14 minutes long and contains distorted, echo-laden sounds of percussion, keyboards, guitar and vocals. Its creation was initiated by Paul McCartney's interest in the London avant-garde scene and through his connection with the design firm Binder, Edwards & Vaughan.
John Randall Bratby RA was an English painter who founded the kitchen sink realism style of art that was influential in the late 1950s. He made portraits of his family and celebrities. His works were seen in television and film. Bratby was also a writer.
David Vaughan was a British psychedelic artist who formed the design team Binder, Edwards & Vaughan (BEV), and the father of actress Sadie Frost. He obtained commissions for his psychedelic painted furniture from Princess Margaret, did work for the Beatles in the early 1960s, worked for Expo 67 and Lord John in Carnaby Street, while photographer David Bailey used his work for a series of posters. He was also involved with two events at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse; Jimi Hendrix appeared at one of them on 22 February 1967.
Joash Woodrow was a reclusive English artist.
Eileen Cooper is a British artist, known primarily as a painter and printmaker.
OSGEMEOS are identical twin street artists Otavio Pandolfo and Gustavo Pandolfo. They started painting graffiti in 1987 and their work appears on streets and in galleries across the world.
Doug Binder is an English artist. His work has varied significantly over his career, and is now focused on oil paintings of the human form. Along with Dudley Edwards and David Vaughan, he co-founded the design collective BEV in the 1960s.
Humphrey Ocean is a contemporary British painter.
Forshaw Day (1831–1903) was a Canadian artist known for his landscapes.
Vikky Alexander is a Canadian contemporary artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia who is a member of the Vancouver School and was a Professor of photography in the Visual Arts Department at the University of Victoria in Canada. She has retired from teaching and now holds the title professor emerita.
Michael Lin is a Taiwanese artist who lives and works in Brussels, Belgium and Taipei, Taiwan. He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and grew up in Taiwan and the United States. Lin is considered a leading Taiwanese contemporary painter and conceptual artist.
Alaa Awad is an Egyptian artist and muralist based in Luxor, Egypt.
Ganton Street is a street in central London that runs between Marshall Street and Kingly Street. It is crossed by Carnaby Street, and Newburgh Street joins it on its north side. The street is in a part-pedestrianised area dominated by independent clothing shops and restaurants, and on upper floors, offices, particularly media companies. Immediately to the east of Regent Street, Ganton Street is variously described as being in the West End, Soho, and "Carnaby" areas.
Lord John was a British men's fashion retailer, which opened its first store at 43 Carnaby Street, London, at the corner with Ganton Street, in 1963.
The 62 Group of Textile Artists is an international group of professional textile artists founded in the United Kingdom in 1962. The group is a Constituted Artists Co-operative, focussed on exhibiting the work of its members in the UK and overseas. Membership of the group is achieved through a selection process. The 62 Group requires members to submit work to a selection panel of their peers for every exhibition "If members fail to submit, or are rejected for three successive exhibitions, then membership is forfeited...a policy which ensures that the group consistently produces exciting work." The increased profile of textile art and its evolution in the latter part of the 20th century "has to a great extent been dictated by members of the 62 Group."
For the artist with a similar name see Dorothy Elizabeth Bradford.
Thomas Holroyd was an English portrait and landscape painter working in Harrogate, North Riding of Yorkshire, England. Before his marriage he undertook painting tours to the United States, Canada, Europe, Egypt, Russia and the Holy Land. Returning to Harrogate, he painted portraits of the local worthies there. He shared responsibility for the successful photography business T & J Holroyd with his brother James, and continued to run the business after his brother died. Holroyd was a founding member of Harrogate Liberal Club.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Other Sources
1 Hathaway, Norman (2011). Electrical Banana. Damiani: Italy. pp. 62–83
2 Palacios, Julian (2010). Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, pp. 214–216 Plexus Publishing, London. ISBN 0859654311