David Blackburn
Leaf Sunset Quartet 2005
96 x 74 cm
pastel on paper
David Blackburn was born in Huddersfield in 1939 and despite long spells as a visiting lecturer, artist and professor in both Australia and America, he keeps returning to his Yorkshire roots, choosing to live and work there.
His work is internationally acclaimed, and represented in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
While studying at the Royal College of Art (RCA), David Blackburn met some of the great influences of his life. In 1962 he met Gerhart Frankl who introduced him to the works of Austrian artists and scholars and to using pastels, which he continues to use. He also met Kenneth Clark who purchased drawings and became a patron and advisor. In 1999, Blackburn celebrated his sixtieth birthday with a touring exhibition previewed in Leeds, Chicago and London. There are two major monographs published on his work.
‘While the ranking of artists is the prerogative of posterity rather than of contemporaries, David Blackburn has achieved in his work an art which is so uniquely his own and is of such haunting beauty and spiritual power that it has to be viewed as a major accomplishment on the international art scene’ Sasha Grishin
We are delighted to anounce that a new film about David Blackburn is now available on DVD. Produced by the respected film maker Colin Still, of Optic Nerve productions, the film includes some spectacular shots from a hot air balloon over the Peak District National Park as well as informative interviews with the art critic Chalotte Mullins, art historian Peter Khoroche and the well known poet, Simon Armitage. The film also includes unique footage of Blackburn at work in his studio and some revealing interviews with the artist himself.
Click here to read the recent article in the 'Art of England' magazine that covered the forthcoming Blackburn show.