Vardaxoglou Gallery to exclusively represent the Estate of Robyn Denny (1930-2014)
Image: Robyn Denny, ADAY 2 (Here and Then series), 1968-1973, oil on canvas. Courtesy of Vardaxoglou Gallery © The Robyn Denny Estate
Vardaxoglou Gallery is pleased to announce the exclusive representation of the Estate of Robyn Denny (1930-2014). Vardaxoglou Gallery will work closely with the Denny family to continue the artist’s legacy, and highlight his lasting impact on the course of art history. In spring 2024, Vardaxoglou will present its first Robyn Denny exhibition, bringing together works from the 1950s through to the 2010s.
Born in Surrey, England, Robyn Denny was one of an internationally acclaimed group who transformed British art in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Inspired by the scale and energy of Abstract Expressionism emerging from the US, Denny developed his own unique language of painting and printmaking, which drew from popular culture, urban modernity and American films. Graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1957, Denny was one of the organisers of the now legendary 1960 exhibition Situation which marked a dramatic shift away from the mainstream abstraction of the St Ives School to a new style of painting. In 1966, Denny represented Britain at the Venice Biennale and in 1973 was the recipient of a Tate retrospective, the youngest artist at the time to receive this honour. In 1981 Denny moved to Los Angeles where he lived for much of that decade, the influence of the Southern Californian light bringing about a profound change in his work. From the 1990s until his death in 2014, Denny worked intensely on groups of monumental canvases and works on paper, many of which have never been exhibited before. In 2017 and 2018, Denny was the subject of posthumous exhibitions at the Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange in Penzance and the New Art Centre in Wiltshire.
Robyn Denny’s work can be found in the collection of public institutions such as Tate, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Arts Council of England; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Arts Institute, Chicago; the National Gallery of Australia, Sydney; the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; the Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven; the Scottish National Gallery for Modern Art, Edinburgh and the British Council.
Alex Vardaxoglou, Director of Vardaxoglou Gallery said:
“I am proud to announce that Vardaxoglou will represent the Estate of Robyn Denny. It marks a significant milestone for the gallery and we look forward to building on the work the family have done so far in cementing Robyn Denny’s legacy in Britain and internationally, for future generations of artists and collections.”
Robyn Denny’s family said:
“We are delighted by the new relationship with the Vardaxoglou Gallery. The Robyn Denny Estate has had many opportunities to partner with galleries since his death in 2014, but Alex Vardaxoglou was the first to have a genuine appreciation of the entire body of his six decades of work, coupled with a vision, energy and philosophy that reflects Robyn’s own ideas and ambitions seeded whilst at the Royal College of Art. It was the combination of these things, as well as Alex’s understanding of the importance of Robyn Denny as one of the main architects of the seismic shift in British art in the late 1950s, that confirmed our desire to make the unprecedented move of placing such a significant estate with a young, emerging dealer".
For further information please contact Sam Talbot (sam@sam-talbot.com)
