John Forrester (1922-2002)

John Forrester (1922-2002)

EG Mark 1961

Oil on canvas

Provenance: McRoberts & Tunnard Gallery, London.

Exhibited : McRoberts & Tunnard Gallery, Forrester Paintings May 1962, No.12. illustrated in catalogue.

Galerie du Fleuve 1961 illustrated in catalogue.

Painter, born in Wellington, New Zealand. Forrester began painting in the late 1930s, soon after going overseas where he associated with modern art groups. He was in South Africa, 1939–45. After war service he returned to New Zealand where he held his first exhibition in in Auckland in 1946.

He moved to England in 1953 settling in St Ives, Cornwall, 1953–8 where became a member of the Penwith Society during this time he had a solo show at Gimpel Fils in 1955. Between 1958–60 he worked in Italy, then from 1960 in Paris. Among his solo shows in England were McRoberts and Tunnard, 1962, and he also exhibited in France, including Galerie du Fleuve in1961 and 1965.

The contemporary art writer Ernest Goldschmidt wrote in the McRoberts & Tunnard exhibition catalogue of 1962;

‘…the marks of Forrester, …what are Forrester’s marks, the key to all this might be that the marks have no meaning but make sense as a whole and in all the innumerable details and individual signs, his writing on the wall should not be read, nor understood, even not guessed: just felt. And think of it, you can put it the other way around; marks make no sense, but they have meaning. And the meaning of the nonsensical is at the threshold of magic. And magic is one of the rare ways that lead to beauty.’

Forrester was interested in the relationship between pictures and architecture and in the 1950s was appointed design consultant to the Sheffield, north Yorkshire, Park Hill housing development. He remained in Paris working successfully for several years, he moved to Italy permanently in 1973 making it his home away from the outside art world.

He was included in Belgrave Gallery’s 1992 shows British abstract art of the 50s and 60s.

Arts Council holds his canvas Two of a Kind, 1962.