Through the Eyes of Anthony Whishaw RA: at The Fine Art Society in London

"I try and catch the moment before your eye settles. When your mind hasn't quite connected the dots." - Anthony Whishaw RA

Anthony Whishaw RA is proud that over his long career, he has never conformed or painted to a specific gallery or dealer’s requirements. He has doggedly painted whatever captures his imagination - whether grand themes exploring the power of nature and landscape; the mind and its relationship with memory; or kinetic pieces inspired by crowds and people. He seeks to blur the lines between what is figurative and abstract, and there is a freedom to his work that comes from his willingness to experiment and evolve.

At 25 Carnaby Street, we hope to recreate the spirit of Tony’s Kensington studio and home, where his early works from the 1950s nestle alongside pictures from throughout his career to the present day. We see his first preoccupation with shape and shadow, his love of Spain, echoes of Goya and Velázquez, and then an evolution to a brighter palette in the 1960s. With the 1970s, his technique underwent another radical change, when he began using acrylic paint rather than oils, in order to alter and change works at whim. The fluidity and joy of Whishaw's art is the one constant.