Richard Hamilton
Born – London, England 1922
Richard Hamilton’s art training did not follow the straightforward course enjoyed by his contemporaries. It was interrupted by war, expulsion from art school and his marriage. However, after he graduated from the Slade school of Art in London in 1951, he devised an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London and co-founded the Independent Group at the ICA in 1952. The group’s discussions and exhibition at The Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1956, This is Tomorrow, signified the arrival of Pop Art in Britain. Hamilton’s work was the eclectic juxtaposition of traditionally wrought and mechanically reproduced imagery. Interior II combines collage, paint and metal relief on panel, producing a composite image that accesses elements of nostalgia and the ultramodern. There is no doubt that this is a pure artifice rather than illusion. In 1963, he first visited the USA and collaborated with Marcel Duchamp; he has since worked with artists Dieter Roth and Rita Donagh. Hamilton’s engagement with issues surrounding Northern Ireland led to the production of numerous politically oriented paintings.
Masterpieces:
- Just What is it That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?
- I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.
Books About richard hamilton
Richard Hamilton (October Files)
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Collected Words, 1953-1982
Richard Hamilton
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Richard Hamilton: Malen Nach Zahlen
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