James Guppy’s paintings are quietly provocative. They feel both familiar and strange; his dream-like signs and symbols produce an unsettling alchemy, challenging us to re-examine the world we share.
His use of scale and figuration invite us to tap into life’s sub-strata: part memory, part dream, part portent. His images speak of what is deeply human, from the dramatic public statements of his large canvases to the intimate murmurings of his smaller pieces.
Guppy takes his cue from the long western tradition of artists, including J.M. Turner, Piero della Francesca, the Dutch Baroque and the Pre-Raphaelite schools - whose gaze also measured the world about them. Nonetheless, this artist’s vision is nothing but postmodern. |
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After many years teaching and painting in the United Kingdom and the United States, Guppy emigrated to Australia and now lives in northern New South Wales.
He has exhibited in Australia, New York and Texas and his work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Queensland Art Gallery, Artbank, and the BHP Billiton collections; Lancaster University, United Kingdom; Griffith University, Brisbane; Southern Cross University, Lismore; and the Lismore, Stanthorpe, Warwick and Tweed River Regional Galleries.
Guppy was the recipient of the New South Wales Fishers Ghost Art Award in 2004, shortlisted for the Archibald Prize in 2005, and won the Warwick Prize in 2006, and the Stan and Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize in 2007. |
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