The Art

Max Gimblett Elizabeth Taylor, 2011 Gesso, acrylic and vinyl polymers, epoxy, aqua size, aluminium leaf on canvas 70” x 70” x 2d

b. 1935, New Zealand Lives in New York, USA

Born in New Zealand, Gimblett has been primarily based in New York since 1972, and continues to exhibit regularly in both locations. This mix of cultures and aesthetics is evident in Gimblett’s work, which consists largely of object based paintings. His shaped canvases convey various associations and meanings connected to the oval, rectangle, tondo, keystone, and the quatrefoil, for which Gimblett is most recognised. The use of the quatrefoil refers to a multiplicity of meanings as it dates back to pre-christian times and is found in both Western and Eastern religions symbolising such objects as a rose, window, cross and lotus. Along with his inclusion in the exhibition The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York (2009), his solo exhibition in the series The Word of God at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2011) illustrates Gimblett’s increasing international significance. In New Zealand Gimblett has a prominent profile. The Auckland Art Gallery hosted a survey exhibition of his works in 2002 and his works are held in the collections of all major public institutions. He became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Art in 2015. Gimblett is the subject of several publications including the monograph Max Gimblett (Craig Potton and Gow Langsford Gallery, 2002), Max Gimblett: The Brush of All Things (Auckland Art Gallery, 2004), Workspace (Charta, 2010) and Max Gimblett (Charta, 2013). Gow Langsford Gallery has represented Max Gimblett since 1988.