AMSTERDAM.- In celebration of Michael Craig-Martin’s 80th birthday, Reflex Amsterdam announces the artist’s first solo exhibition in The Netherlands. The gallery presents a selection of colourful, minimalistic paintings. Reflex is also publishing a new book containing Craig-Martin’s latest works with an essay by Axel Rüger, art historian and CEO of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The exhibition runs from 2 October until 15 December 2021.

Quotidian objects are draped in vibrant colours on Craig-Martin’s paintings. High heels, blenders, shirts, and caps become sculptural as they are depicted in bold outlines. The dazzling colour planes contrast the minimalism of the line, sharply demarcating one colour plane from the other. Craig-Martin’s vigorous draftsmanship render the familiar iconic by his audacious minimalism.

The artist traversed several mediums but made the shift to painting in the 1990s. All Things Considered encompasses a curated selection of paintings from the last six years up to the most recent works, depicting complex compositions with a bowling ball and fragments of classical instruments, among several others. The precise, exacting outlines are produced by carefully layering tape and paint, while the colour choices result from his artistic acumen. All paintings are made with acrylic on aluminium in Craig-Martin’s dynamic hallmark style.

While his paintings appear timeless in their pure form and colours, they certainly also speak to us now ever more profoundly. The majority of the paintings are produced in 2020, of which the effortless rendition of a mask in Untitled (mask) is crucially evident of this. The icons of the everyday are ever-changing. The past year has brought us closer to our domestic spaces and the intimacy of the objects which surround us. Craig-Martin’s attentive eye and observant replication of 'things' make his audience equally aware and in awe of the beauty of our mundane compositions. Exciting and daunting, this series of paintings entices its audience to look again.

Michael Craig-Martin (1941, Dublin) attended Fordham University, New York (1959-1961) and Yale University, New Haven (BA, 1963 and MFA, 1966). He returned to Europe in the mid 60s, becoming a primary figure in British conceptual art, and by teaching at Goldsmiths College of Art in London (1974-1988 and 1994-2000), he became influential on a generation of his students, including Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas, and Damien Hirst, who became known as the Young British Artists. Recent solo exhibitions include Sculpture at Gagosian Gallery in London, Quotidian at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London, and NOW, a touring exhibition in China. His works are held in major collections world-wide. Craig-Martin lives and works in London, UK.

Reflex Amsterdam represents over 30 contemporary artists. The established gallery has long-standing expertise in sourcing works in both primary and secondary markets. Alongside its annual exhibitions, the gallery is specialized in producing books, prints, and exclusive limited editions in close collaboration with its artists. The gallery provides tailored guidance to private and public collectors to build substantial and international art collections. Reflex was founded as a family business in 1986.