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Artworks
Joe Tilson
The Stones Of Venice, Contarini Fasan, 2019Polyptych, acrylic on canvas in 5 parts182 x 457 x 4 cm© The Artist, Courtesy the Artist and Marlborough, London£75,000Further images
Joe Tilson’s early career as a carpenter during the 1940s still influences his practice to this day. Part of the Royal College of Art group of graduates who were instrumental in the birth of British Pop Art, Tilson spent time in Italy upon graduating having been awarded the Rome prize by the College. Italian architecture and history became an enduring source of inspiration for Tilson, as he quickly became disillusioned with the consumer-related preoccupations of the Pop Artists. He and his wife have spent the majority of their time in Italy for several decades.
Joe Tilson’s early career as a carpenter during the 1940s still influences his practice to this day. Part of the Royal College of Art group of graduates who were instrumental in the birth of British Pop Art, Tilson spent time in Italy upon graduating having been awarded the Rome prize by the College. Italian architecture and history became an enduring source of inspiration for Tilson, as he quickly became disillusioned with the consumer-related preoccupations of the Pop Artists. He and his wife have spent the majority of their time in Italy for several decades.
Tilson’s unique multi-media works often include textual or collaged elements which give them a hand-made quality. He frequently incorporates symbols referencing the four elements and icons drawn from pre-Classical mythology into his imagery. In this monumental five-part work, he uses the repeated motif of an ecclesiastical window over a design based on Venetian stone floors, painted in the primary colours that have characterised his pictures throughout his esteemed career.
Tilson has taught extensively throughout his life in London and New York and exhibited all over the world. He was elected a Royal Academician in 2001, becoming a Senior Academician in 2003 when the RA presented a retrospective of his work. He lives and works in London and Italy.
