Brian Clarke

Collages

HENI Primary is delighted to present Collages by Brian Clarke, a series of 327 unique works created in 2022 and 2023. Following on from the HENI Editions release earlier this year, the original artworks are being made available for the first time. For this series, Clarke turned to the incredibly intimate format of collage to capture nature around him, using hand-painted paper and scissors.

The 327 artworks are Acrylic Painted Paper Collage on Black Card in a Black Wooden Frame with Non-Reflective Glass, and measure 52 cm x 40 cm including frame. The artworks are signed by Brian Clarke.

The application period opens on 23 November and closes at 17:00 GMT on 7 December 2023.

Sir Brian Clarke

Brian Clarke is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work over the past five decades spans a wide range of genres and mediums. Widely considered the most important artist working in stained glass today, he has revolutionised the medium not only technologically but also philosophically, pushing the boundaries of what it can achieve. Equally important is his pictorial practice, explored in painting, sculpture, lead work, mosaic, drawing, collage and tapestry.

His unique and radical approach has earned him numerous awards and honours, and his artworks have been shown in prestigious collections and institutions worldwide such as The Victoria and Albert Museum, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Corning Museum of Glass New York and Tate London. To learn more about Brian Clarke and his work, visit his official website here.

You can watch the longer video of Brian Clarke discussing The Collages with Hans Ulrich Obrist on HENI Talks.

About Collages

The use of collages has been a part of Brian Clarke’s practice since he first started making stained glass. The artist said, ‘I have been making my designs for stained glass out of cut-out paper and collages since I was a teenager. This is before I knew about Matisse, and it's because it’s the natural way to make them. I think of every one of these collages as being an idea for a stained glass window.’

Flowers, plants, and nature are subjects that Clarke has continually returned to throughout his career and across mediums. In Collages, his subjects are captured with both incredible delicacy and explosive colour, as the semi-abstract, vibrant forms seemingly leap from the page.

The 327 artworks are Acrylic Painted Paper Collage on Black Card in a Black Wooden Frame with Non-Reflective Glass, and measure 52 cm x 40 cm including frame. The artworks are signed by Brian Clarke.

A Book of Collages

Earlier this year, HENI Publishing released Collages, featuring all of the artworks in the series, as well as an interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist, in which Clarke and Obrist discuss the influence of Clarke’s contemporaries and the intensely personal practice of his work in collage. The book is now available from HENI Publishing and at the Newport Street Gallery exhibition A Great Light.

A Great Light

Clarke’s monumental career and innovative approach to artmaking is celebrated in the exhibition A Great Light at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery in London. Open until 31 December, A Great Light tracks his unmatched contribution to the continuous development of the stained glass medium. 200 of the Collages artworks are on view in A Great Light.

Featuring a range of works from Clarke’s career, including his leadworks and freestanding stained glass panels, and presenting new, monumental works in stained glass and collage, the exhibition presents the various ways Clarke creatively interrogates the materials, effects and construction of stained glass across scale and medium.

Exhibition dates
9 June – 31 December 2023
Opening hours
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Location
Newport Street Gallery, 1 Newport Street, London, SE11 6AJ

You can learn more about the exhibition here.

Timeline

To ensure a fair and broad distribution, Collages are being sold on an application basis for a limited time only. If you would like to purchase a work, click ‘Apply Now’ and fill out the application form.