Tony Bevan. The Complete Prints - drypoints, etchings and woodcuts 1969-2002 - 2002

Tony Bevan : The Complete Prints

Etchings, drypoints, linocuts and woodcuts 1969-2002

1 October - 16 November 2002


This comprehensive print retrospective is the first ever exhibition to be devoted exclusively to the prints of Tony Bevan. It includes unique etchings, rare proofs and limited edition prints, many of which have never previously been exhibited. The exhibition extends from Bevan's first etchings to a recently completed drypoint of a head.

Tony Bevan's prints have always had a close relationship to his paintings and drawings but remain little known. They not only provide a powerful and accessible summary of Tony Bevan's concerns but have also played a direct and decisive role in the evolution of the artist's work. Prints have not only followed paintings on the same subject but have also exerted an influence on the direction of Bevan's paintings and share a similar desire to free line from a purely descriptive function.

The prints of Tony Bevan are worked on in the same studio in which the artist produces his drawings and paintings and have concentrated on the most hands-on of print media, from the intimacy of drypoint and etching to the physicality of lino and woodcut. As a result of this, Bevan's prints possess a boldness of approach and an immediacy of impact.

The exhibition is staged to coincide with the launch of a beautiful new publication, Harold Pinter, The Disappeared and other poems. Images by Tony Bevan (Enitharmon Editions, 2002). The deluxe edition of this book, sold with a limited edition etching by Bevan, Violet Interior, will be included in the exhibition and can also be ordered from the gallery.