www.geoffreykey.com
As one of Britain’s most popular and distinctive artists, Geoffrey has gone to extreme lengths to cultivate this individual style and has in his recent series ‘Isolated Heads’ painted perhaps the most intensely observed and sensitive psychological record of the pandemic.
Over sixty three years as a professional artist, through a combination of technique, tone and colour Geoffrey Key has produced a body of work that, whilst highly original, creates a feeling of deep joy and timeless quality.
Cheshire Art Gallery are proud to present ‘Key Decades’ Exhibition, the first full retrospective. This major exhibition, which has taken more than three years to curate has uncovered many important works several of which were believed lost. The result is a sensuous taste of Key’s artistic journey that will not only delight but also challenge the orthodox view of Key’s progress as an artist. It will also surprise even his most knowledgeable and avid admirers.
Cheshire Art Gallery: 13 Ack Lane East, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 2BE.
“There isn’t one picture I’m not pleased with. I’m just over the moon with the show”
Geoffrey, who is celebrating his 80th birthday year, hence the exhibition – says he is over the moon with how the show has been received. “All this work I have never seen together before. To come in and see so many years’ worth of work together and Collect Art has been hyper-selective, it’s like meeting a lot of old friends”.
There was work displayed from the 1960s all the way until 2021, including the latest collection, inspired by figures against clouds.
Martin Heaps, owner of Collect Art in Lymm welcomed around 70-80 people per day and an estimated 300 overall. He said: “The weekend went extremely well – more than what we had anticipated. “We have never run them on a Sunday for instance and never opened until late on Saturday but there was a steady flow of people every day.”
Excerpt from Warrington Guardian – Jack Heale
Written by Nick Brown OBE FRSA
“What I want to capture is not the image but the character, I want to paint something people can feel for themselves” Geoffrey Key
Excerpt from Living Edge Magazine
“It was simply a coincidence that on that day I painted that first head, which I then worked through to a series. I always work in series until I have said what I want to say”
Part 1 of the new Geoffrey Key documentary – commissioned by Cheshire Art Gallery has been released on YouTube, already attracting a great deal of attention with hundreds of views within the first days of posting online.
Part 2 of the film is due for release to coincide with the currently postponed – The Key Decades Exhibition.