Denys Watkins Touring Exhibition 2017-2019

Bath Street Arts Trust is presently working on a touring survey exhibition, comprising paintings produced by renowned New Zealand artist, Denys Watkins, over a fourteen year period (2003-2016). The exhibition will capture a handpicked selection of works, each chosen by Watkins. Exhibition dates at presenting institutions around New Zealand will be announced summer 2016-2017, and it is anticipated that the tour will commence from late 2017. Accompanying the exhibition is a limited edition hardcover monograph on Denys Watkins, published by Bath Street Arts Trust in 2017.

Denys Watkins’ paintings, drawn from impressions of the modern world, are colourful and have long been favoured for their accessible and enigmatic qualities. Following his attendance in the 2003 Sanskriti Kendra residency in New Delhi, India, Watkins’ work flourished, culminating in a very popular exhibition at The Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland. Subsequent work and exhibitions have further advanced Watkins’ iconic style. In his works, fields of colour are typically juxtaposed with abstract forms and occasionally objects drawn from the real world, creating what NZ Herald art reviewer T.J. McNamara described as “witty dissonances”, that combine in each work to create a balanced whole.

About the artist: Denys Watkins lives and works in Auckland. He was born in Wellington and received his art education at Wellington School of Design; Central School of Art and Design, London; Royal College of Art, London. Watkins is one of New Zealand’s significant visual artists and has been exhibiting for over forty years, with works in major public and private collections around New Zealand and Australia. He was a senior lecturer at Elam School of Fine Art, The University of Auckland from 1980 to 2011.

Pictured: Denys Watkins, Wisdom and Misconduct, 2012, acrylic on linen, 1200 x 1200mm, courtesy of the artist

Cover image: Denys Watkins, Ghost Dog, 2010, acrylic on linen, 450 x 610mm, private collection