Exhibition: Graham Boyd - Volatile Creatures

UH Arts + Culture, at the University of Hertfordshire, is delighted to be hosting a celebration of abstract artist Graham Boyd this summer, focussing on three key periods in his career. The show captures how different methods of working from the 1970s and 1980s have inspired the paintings that Boyd is creating today in his ninth decade.

Born in 1928, Graham Boyd has been practising as an artist for seven decades and his work has been exhibited and represented in collections across the globe. Boyd’s practice reveals a steady progression of work underpinned by a fascination with the hidden forces of nature. Known as a veteran of abstraction, he resided in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the 1950s, a period that had a profound impact on his perception of space and its representation.

The earliest works to be exhibited in the show are the New Hampshire Grids, developed whilst Boyd was working as a Professor at the University of New Hampshire, USA. These meticulous and repetitive drawings contrast with the expressive, larger, colourful paintings of the 1980s, but have combined to inspire the artist’s most recent work.

Boyd’s work changed dramatically after taking part in Triangle, USA, with Sir Anthony Caro in 1983. The workshop brought together a host of international painters and sculptors for an intense period of experimentation and creativity. His paintings from this period reflect his changing aspirations, working with a sense of scale and with intuition rather than planned logic.

At 94, Graham continues to work from his Hertfordshire studio, relishing the unpredictability and power of colour, and continually experimenting with shape and form. As he himself says, “the main thing is to be able to be surprised by what is encountered."

For more information visit https://www.uharts.co.uk/whats-on/2022/volatile-creatures