William Crozier (Irish artist)
Encyclopedia
William Crozier was an Irish-Scots still-life and landscape artist based in Hampshire, England and West Cork in Ireland. He was a member of Aosdana
.
between 1949 and 1953. On graduating he spent time in Paris and Dublin before settling in London where he quickly gained a reputation as the 1950s equivalent of a Young British Artist through the early success and notoriety of his exhibitions of assemblages and paintings at the ICA, Drian and the Arthur Tooth galleries, with whom he had a long association.http://www.dcu.ie/arts/33.htm
Profoundly affected by post-war existential philosophy, Crozier allied himself and his work consciously with contemporary European art throughout the 1950s and 1960s, rather than with the New York abstractionists, who were more fashionable in the UK at the time. He was also part of the artistic and literary world of 1950s Soho, a close associate of ‘the Roberts’, Colquhoun
and MacBryde
, John Minton
and William Scott
, and part of the expatriate middle-European and Irish intellectual circles in London of the time. Crozier spent 1963 in southern Spain with the Irish poet Anthony Cronin
; this proved pivotal to Crozier's development as an artist. On his return to the UK, he began a series of skeletal paintings which anticipated the ‘New Expressionist’ German painters of the 1980s, and which were influenced by Crozier's visits to Auschwitz and Belsen
Based in London throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Crozier exhibited his works in London, Glasgow, Dublin and all over Europe. As many artists of the 1960s did, Crozier combined painting with teaching, first at Bath Academy of Art, (with Howard Hodgkin
, Gillian Ayres and Terry Frost
), then at the Central School of Art (with William Turnbull
and Cecil Collins), at the Studio School in New York and finally at Winchester School of Art
where he led a strong centre for painting based on the European tradition. When he ceased teaching in the 1980s, Crozier’s painting blossomed with a new freedom and confidence. His abstract landscapes and still life painting used sumptuous colour to convey an emotional intensity and he was endlessly concerned with the challenge of creating a new language in figurative painting.
Crozier’s paintings are now in demand at exhibition and at auction. He represented the UK and Ireland overseas, and has been awarded the Premio Lissone in Milan and the Oireachtas Gold medal for Painting in Dublin in 1994. In 1991 the Crawford Art Gallery Cork and the Royal Hibernian Academy
curated a retrospective of his work. He was elected to Aosdana
in 1992 and is an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 2005 Crozier celebrated his 75th birthday with a major exhibition in Cork to celebrate the European Capital of Culture. Here Crozier exhibited a selection of his drawing work, providing the first opportunity to see that the master of colour was also an inventive artist in black and white.
He died peacefully aged 81 at home on 12 July 2011. His funeral service is to be held in Wickham
on 19 July 2011.
painting "Christ of Saint John of the Cross
" to an episode of the BBC documentary series, The Private Life of a Masterpiece
, which analysed the painting in 2005.
Work by Crozier can be seen in the following public collections: City Art Gallery (Aberdeen), Peter Styvesant Collection, The Ulster Museum, City Art Gallery (Birmingham), The European Commission (Brussels), Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), Crawford Municipal Gallery (Cork), Museum of Modern Art (Dallas), Irish Museum of Modern Art (Dublin), Royal Hibernian Academy (Dublin), Office of Public Works (Dublin), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh), City Art Gallery (Gdansk), Victoria & Albert Museum (London), National Gallery of Australia (Melbourne), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), and the National Museum (Warsaw).
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
.
Life and works
Crozier was born in Glasgow to Irish parents and educated at the Glasgow School of ArtGlasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
between 1949 and 1953. On graduating he spent time in Paris and Dublin before settling in London where he quickly gained a reputation as the 1950s equivalent of a Young British Artist through the early success and notoriety of his exhibitions of assemblages and paintings at the ICA, Drian and the Arthur Tooth galleries, with whom he had a long association.http://www.dcu.ie/arts/33.htm
Profoundly affected by post-war existential philosophy, Crozier allied himself and his work consciously with contemporary European art throughout the 1950s and 1960s, rather than with the New York abstractionists, who were more fashionable in the UK at the time. He was also part of the artistic and literary world of 1950s Soho, a close associate of ‘the Roberts’, Colquhoun
Robert Colquhoun
Robert Colquhoun was a Scottish painter, printmaker and theatre set designer.Colquhoun was born in Kilmarnock and was educated at Kilmarnock Academy...
and MacBryde
Robert MacBryde
Robert MacBryde was a Scottish still-life and figure painter and a theatre set designer.MacBryde was born in Maybole and worked in a factory for 5 years after leaving school. He studied art at Glasgow School of Art from 1932 to 1937...
, John Minton
John Minton
John Minton may refer to:* John D. Minton, Jr., Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court* John Minton , artist and illustrator* Big John Studd , wrestler...
and William Scott
William Scott
William Scott may refer to:* William Scott , MP for Kent * William Scott, 1st Baron Stowell , English judge and jurist* William Scott , American silent film actor...
, and part of the expatriate middle-European and Irish intellectual circles in London of the time. Crozier spent 1963 in southern Spain with the Irish poet Anthony Cronin
Anthony Cronin
Anthony Cronin is an Irish poet. He received the Marten Toonder Award for his contribution to Irish literature....
; this proved pivotal to Crozier's development as an artist. On his return to the UK, he began a series of skeletal paintings which anticipated the ‘New Expressionist’ German painters of the 1980s, and which were influenced by Crozier's visits to Auschwitz and Belsen
Based in London throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Crozier exhibited his works in London, Glasgow, Dublin and all over Europe. As many artists of the 1960s did, Crozier combined painting with teaching, first at Bath Academy of Art, (with Howard Hodgkin
Howard Hodgkin
Sir Gordon Howard Eliot Hodgkin CH, CBE is a British painter and printmaker. His work is most often associated with abstraction.-Early life:...
, Gillian Ayres and Terry Frost
Terry Frost
Sir Terry Frost RA was an English artist noted for his abstracts....
), then at the Central School of Art (with William Turnbull
William Turnbull (artist)
William Turnbull is a British artist. He is considered one of the finest British artists contributing today. He has always been both a painter and a sculptor And his sculpture is considered influential.- Early life:...
and Cecil Collins), at the Studio School in New York and finally at Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art
Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England.- Overview :...
where he led a strong centre for painting based on the European tradition. When he ceased teaching in the 1980s, Crozier’s painting blossomed with a new freedom and confidence. His abstract landscapes and still life painting used sumptuous colour to convey an emotional intensity and he was endlessly concerned with the challenge of creating a new language in figurative painting.
Crozier’s paintings are now in demand at exhibition and at auction. He represented the UK and Ireland overseas, and has been awarded the Premio Lissone in Milan and the Oireachtas Gold medal for Painting in Dublin in 1994. In 1991 the Crawford Art Gallery Cork and the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
curated a retrospective of his work. He was elected to Aosdana
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
in 1992 and is an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 2005 Crozier celebrated his 75th birthday with a major exhibition in Cork to celebrate the European Capital of Culture. Here Crozier exhibited a selection of his drawing work, providing the first opportunity to see that the master of colour was also an inventive artist in black and white.
He died peacefully aged 81 at home on 12 July 2011. His funeral service is to be held in Wickham
Wickham
Wickham, formerly spelled Wykeham, is a small historic village and civil parish in Hampshire, southern England, located about three miles north of Fareham. It is within the City of Winchester local government district, although it is considerably closer to Fareham than to Winchester...
on 19 July 2011.
Films
Several films have been made about Crozier and his work, such as Gordon Smith’s ‘William Crozier’ for Scottish TV (1970) and ‘The Truth About a Painter’ directed by Cian O hEigertaigh for RTÉ (1993). Crozier himself made films: ‘’Charlston’ and ‘Meon Shore’ for Meridian TV UK in 1996, and later ‘The Frame: Jane Bown photographs William Crozier’, also for Meridian in 2000. Crozier contributed his hostile view of Dalí'sSalvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
painting "Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross
Christ of Saint John of the Cross is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951. It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross in a darkened sky floating over a body of water complete with a boat and fishermen...
" to an episode of the BBC documentary series, The Private Life of a Masterpiece
The Private Life of a Masterpiece
The Private Life of a Masterpiece was a BBC arts documentary series which told the stories behind great works of art; 29 episodes of the series were broadcast on BBC Two, commencing in 2001 and ending in 2010. It initially ran for five seasons from 2001 to 2006, for a total of 22 episodes; each...
, which analysed the painting in 2005.
Exhibitions
Examples of the artist’s work can be seen in most major public and private collections in the British Isles, and in the National Galleries of Canada, Poland and Australia among many other national collections. He is strongly represented in the corporate collections of Allied Irish Banks, BNP Paribas and British Petroleum Plc. William Crozier’s work features in all current reference works on 20th century Irish and Scottish Art.Work by Crozier can be seen in the following public collections: City Art Gallery (Aberdeen), Peter Styvesant Collection, The Ulster Museum, City Art Gallery (Birmingham), The European Commission (Brussels), Museum of Modern Art (Copenhagen), Crawford Municipal Gallery (Cork), Museum of Modern Art (Dallas), Irish Museum of Modern Art (Dublin), Royal Hibernian Academy (Dublin), Office of Public Works (Dublin), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh), City Art Gallery (Gdansk), Victoria & Albert Museum (London), National Gallery of Australia (Melbourne), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), and the National Museum (Warsaw).
Work in Collections
- Dublin City UniversityDublin City UniversityDublin City University is a university situated between Glasnevin, Santry, Ballymun and Whitehall on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland...
: