British artist Rose Wylie presents a collection of large-scale paintings and related drawings in her first solo exhibition

Courtesy of David Zwirner

Rose Wylie, the renowned British artist, is showcasing a collection of new artworks at David Zwirner Gallery's recently opened location in Los Angeles. The exhibition, titled "CLOSE, not too close," features large-scale paintings and related drawings, offering an unconventional portrait of the artist through depictions of her home, garden, media consumption, and daily life. This marks Wylie's sixth exhibition with David Zwirner and her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. 

▲ Installation view, Rose Wylie: CLOSE, not too close, David Zwirner, Los Angeles, 2023, Courtesy of David Zwirner

Wylie is recognized for her unique, colorful, and exuberant compositions that, upon initial observation, may seem aesthetically simplistic but reveal wittily observed and subtly sophisticated meditations on visual representation. She often explores perspectival and compositional strategies beyond traditional Renaissance perspective, frequently creating multiple iterations of a motif to advance her formal investigation. Wylie's works juxtapose disparate imagery, forming visual rhymes and resonances that merge into unified compositions.

▲ Rose Wylie, My House, 2023, Courtesy of David Zwirner

The exhibition, "CLOSE, not too close," presents canvases that capture specific atemporal moments, drawing from Wylie's everyday existence. Her seventeenth-century home and studio, where she has lived for over five decades, serve as subjects for several works. Notably, "Pink News Reader" recasts a presenter Wylie observed on the BBC, exploring the contrast between her appearance and the somber news she was reporting. The exhibition also showcases works with inadvertent resonances with the setting in Los Angeles.

Overall, Wylie's exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery portrays her ability to absorb impressions from her surroundings and displays her broad knowledge of cultural production, encompassing various visual traditions.

▲ Rose Wylie, HAND, Drawing as Central, 2022, Courtesy of David Zwirner

Rose Wylie, born in 1934, pursued her studies at Folkestone and Dover School of Art in Kent, England, and later at the Royal College of Art in London, graduating in 1981. Her first solo exhibition was held in 1985 at the Trinity Arts Centre in Kent.

Over the years, Wylie has presented solo exhibitions at various prestigious venues worldwide, including the Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia (2012); Tate Britain, London (2013); Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2015); Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London (2017); and The Gallery at Windsor, Vero Beach, Florida (2020). Notably, in 2020, the Aspen Art Museum showcased her first solo museum presentation in the United States, titled "Rose Wylie: where i am and was." 

▲ Rose Wylie, Spindle and Cover Girl, 2022 (detail), Courtesy of David Zwirner
Wylie's accolades include receiving the John Moores Painting Prize in 2014 and being elected a senior academician to the Royal Academy of Arts the same year. In 2018, she was honored with the South Bank Sky Arts Award and an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for her contributions to art.

Her work is prominently featured in collections across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including institutions like Tate, London; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Wylie has been represented by her current gallery since 2017, and she resides and works in Kent, England. Currently, her work is part of the group exhibition "Thin Skin" at Monash University Museum of Art, Caulfield, Australia, until September 23, 2023.

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