DICK BIXBY at High Cross House Dartington

Dick Bixby

FALLING IN.....
‘Paintings and drawings from one of the most important artists of the late 20th century.’ R. C. Kennedy

It is with great pleasure that we present this extraordinary and diverse collection of Dick Bixby’s work at High Cross House. His experimental approach in art is fitting for the world stage and today here in his home county of Devon. As we continue the ethos of the Dartington experiment, Dick is perfect to represent at High Cross House as our first cutting edge international artist.
As a painter and person Dick is unique in so many ways. Although he has been collected and presented by many major public galleries throughout the world since the 1960’s, Dick is not consumed by trends, art markets or being ‘an Artist’ but his own motivation to probe deeper into the science of seeing, looking and perceiving.
His work provides a mesmerising dramatic canvas that you cannot help but fall into. It is not just down to scale too, there hidden under the masterful strokes of a brush is a life time of experience, a profound expression of what it is that makes us human. Life and all that makes life is the phenomena that fires Dick.
With hidden icons and cryptology, often many of them combined, one stands in front of Dick’s masterpieces and one is challenged to pass more than a fleeting glance. Shapes, patterns, icons emerge and as a result one learns of their own aesthetic process of seeing. Abstract counterpointed narratives arrive loaded with psychology, nature, aesthetics, science, religion, history, all combined into a powerful and sometimes paradoxical picture. It is very rare that viewers will not have a strong emotional response to Dick’s work.
Dick is blessed with intellectual rigour, and a scientific brain which has lead him into the wider practice of photography and electronics. The construction of his robot ‘Oswald’ and his dog were one of the first exhibits in the London Institute of Contemporary Arts and his visual projections have entranced international audiences for decades. During July Dick will be hosting projection nights at High Cross House.
Dick is an artist that leads and does not follow, and as a fellow artist I am confident that we are witnessing a living master at work, one that is so unaffected by a ‘modern’ art world. Dick will, like all masters, undoubtedly stand the test of time.

Emma Carter - Curator and Art Programme Manager High Cross House
High Cross House one of the top five modernist houses inthe country, design by Swiss American architect Lescaze. High Cross House is open Wednesday - Sunday 10.30 - 5.30pm and until 8.30pm on Friday nights. There is cafe and carparking near. We unfortunatley have limited disabled access. High Cross House is now under National Trust managment and if you are a National Trust member it is free entry, otherwise £7.20 (£8 gift aid) for an adult. Please call 01803 842382 for details. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/highcrosshouse/

For more information visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/highcrosshouse/