Ian McKeever RA
Born: 30 November 1946, Withernsea, East Yorks
Elected RA 23 May 2003
Category of Membership: Painter
Ian McKeever RA, 'Twelve II', 2008-2009. Oil and acrylic on linen, 198 x 158 cm
"The quality of light in a painting intrigues me enormously: how to imbue a painting with light so that one is not actually depicting it, but somehow its quality is implicitly within the painting—almost emanating from within it."
Ian McKeever began painting in 1969, renting a studio from SPACE, London, following a degree in English Literature. His first solo show in London came four years later at the ICA. In 1989 he was awarded the prestigious DAAD scholarship in Berlin, and this was followed in 1990 by a major retrospective exhibition of his work at the Whitechapel Gallery, London. In the early years his work was landscape-based, reflecting the many journeys he made to such places as Greenland, Papua New Guinea and Siberia. He stopped making direct references to the landscape in the mid 1980s, and his work became more abstract, reflecting a growing interest in the human body and architectural structures. The quality of light and presence in McKeever's paintings have become increasingly important over the years. He has held various teaching positions; was Guest Professor at the Städel Akademie der Kunst in Frankfurt and is now visiting Professor at the University of Brighton.
In 2006 he was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy Schools .
Selected solo exhibitions
2010 Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
2009 Temple Paintings, Kings Place Gallery, London
Recent Paintings, Galleri Andersson Sandström, Stockholm
Assembly, Paintings 2006-2008, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2008 Assembly, Paintings and Works on Paper 2006-2007, Alan Cristea Gallery, London
2007 Four Quartets, Paintings 2001- 2007, Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
Assembly, Paintings 2002-2007, Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark
2006 Whispers, Recent Drawings, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Temple Paintings, Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
New Paintings, First exhibition with Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2005 Paintings 1983–1993, Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
2004 Recent Paintings and Works on Paper, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
2003 Watercolours and Gouaches 1993–2003, Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Skärhamn Sweden
2002 Paintings from the Four Quartets Series, Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens
New Paintings, First exhibition with Galleri Andersson Sandström, Umeå
2001 Paintings 1993-2000, Kunsthallen Brandts Klaederfabrik, Odense
1998 Recent Paintings, First exhibition with Galleri Susanne Ottesen, Copenhagen
Twelve x Eight and Other Woodcut Monoprints, First exhibition with Alan Cristea Gallery, London
1997 Paintings 1990–1996, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham, and The Bonnington Gallery, University of Trent, Nottingham; Porin Taidemuseo, Pori
1996 Works on Paper 1981–1996, University of Brighton and The Terrace Gallery, Harewood House, Leeds
1995 The Marianne North Paintings, Matt's Gallery, London
1993 Hour Paintings, Stephen Solovy Gallery, Chicago
1992 Door Paintings, First exhibition with Galerie Stadtpark, Krems
1990 Notes 1989–1990, DAAD Galerie, West Berlin
Large Diptychs, Galerie Tanit, Cologne
Paintings 1978–1990, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1989 A History of Rocks 1986–1988, Kunstforum, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
1987 The Staffa Project, Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston; Arnolfini, Bristol; Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum and Diensthoofd Provincial Museum, Hasselt
Ian McKeever im Innsbrucker Kunstverein, Kunstverein Innsbruck
Echo and Reflection, Arbeiten 1983–1987, Kunstverein Braunschweig
1985 Traditional Landscapes and Works on Paper, Galerie Nächst St Stephan, Vienna
1984 Traditional Landscapes, First exhibition with Galerie Tanit, Munich
Recent Paintings, John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton
1982 Deutscher Zyklus, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg
1981 Paintings: Islands and Night Flak Series, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and Museum of Modern Art, Oxford
1980 Aspects of Work 1973–1980, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1979 Field Series 1978, First solo exhibition with Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London
1978 Sand and Sea Series, Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
Sand and Sea Series, Galleria Foksal, Warsaw
1976 Ian McKeever, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
Works 1974–76, Galleria del Cavellino, Venice
1973 Ian McKeever, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
1971 Ian McKeever, Cardiff Arts Centre, Cardiff
Selected group exhibitions
2009 Northern Print Biennale, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
2005 Seven Royal Academicians in China, National Art Gallery, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; and Royal Academy of Arts, London
The Art of White, The Lowry, Manchester
2004 Works and Days, Acquisitions for the Louisiana Collection 2000–2004, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
2002 Centenary Exhibition, Carlsberg Foundation, Glyptothek, Copenhagen
1999 Graphic! British Prints Now, Yale Center for British Art, Newhaven, Connecticut
Into the Light, Photographic Printing Out of the Darkroom, The Royal Photographic Society, Bath; Callografia Nacional, Madrid; and Fundacion Municipal de Cultura, Valladolid
1996 Strangers in the Arctic, Rundetårn, Copenhagen; Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki; and The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Nuevas Abstracciones, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte, Reina Sofia, Madrid; Museo d'Art Contemporarie de Barcelona; and Kunsthalle Bielefeld
1995 Contemporary British Art in Print, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut; and McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
Life Patterns, Tate Gallery, London
1994 Paintmarks, Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge; Southampton City Art Gallery, Southampton; and Mead Gallery, University of Warwick
1992 Geteilte Bilder; das Diptychon in der neuen Kunst, Museum Folkwang, Essen
Des Dessins, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Basle
1991 Nature, Création du Peintre, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne
1990 Le Paysage, Trace de la Mémoire, Galerie Barbar & Cie, Paris
1989 Landschaft in der Erfahrung, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne
Lifelines: Four British Artists, BASF-Feierabendhaus, Ludwigshafen,and Tate Gallery, Liverpool
Synnyt: Sources of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
1988 ROSC ’88, Guinness Hop Store, Dublin
New British Painting, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati
Zurück zur Natur, aber wie?, Städtische Galerie im Prinz-Max-Palais, Karlsruhe
A British View, Koplin Gallery, Los Angeles
1987 Current Affairs – British Painting and Sculpture in the 80s, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford; Mucsarnok, Budapest; Narodni Galerie, Prague; and Zacheta, Warsaw
British Art of the 1980s, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, and Sara Hildenin Taidemuseo, Tampere
Viewpoint: British Art of the 1980s, Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels
1986 British Painting 1986, Künstlerhaus, Vienna
Prospect ’86, Frankfurter Kunstverein/ Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt
1985 John Moores Liverpool Exhibition 14, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
A Journey Through Contemporary Art with Nigel Greenwood, Hayward Annual 1985, Hayward Gallery, London
Ambiguities and Characters, Konsthall Landskrona
Dialogue, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Living Art, Guinness Hop Store, Dublin
Steirischer Herbst '85 – Phase II: Das Bild einer Ausstellung, Stadtmuseum Graz
1984 British Art Show 2 . . . Old Allegiances and New Directions 1979–84, Ikon Gallery Birmingham; Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh; Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield; and City Art Gallery, Southampton
1983 z.B. Landschaft, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn
Art Itinera 1983, Castello Pasquine, Castigliancello, Volterra
1981 Art and the Sea, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
1980 Works from the British Council Collection, Serpentine Gallery, London
1976 Englische Landschaftsmalerei, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe; Haus am Waldsee, Berlin; and Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven
1975 From Britain ’75, Taidehalli Helsinki; Alvar Aalto-Museo, Jyväskylä; and Taidemuseo, Tampere
Selected collections
Tate Gallery, London
British Museum, London
Royal Academy of Arts, London
Arts Council of Great Britain, London
British Council, London
Government Art Collection of Great Britain, London
Red Mansion Foundation, London
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Yale Centre for British Art, Connecticut
MIT List Visual Arts Centre, Massachusetts
Cincinnati Museum of Modern Art, Cincinnati
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk Denmark
New Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens
Løvbjergs Almene Fond, Horsens
Sønderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Tønder
Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio
Porin Taidemuseo, Pori
Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nuremberg
Kunsthalle Kiel
Museum Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen
Morat-Insititut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau
Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vienna
Museum of Fine Art, Budapest
Selected publications
Ian McKeever: Paintings, Marjorie Allthorpe-Guyton, Michael Tucker, Catherine Lampert, and Ian McKeever, Lund Humphries, London, 2009
Ian McKeever: Assembly. Paintings and Works on Paper 2006-2007, Jill Lloyd, Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 2008
Ian McKeever: Four Quartets, Paintings 2001-2007, Martin Caiger-Smith, Freiburg im Breisgau & Cologne, 2007
Ian McKeever: Whispers, Mette Berndsen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 2006
Ian McKeever: In Praise of Painting, Three Essays, University of Brighton, 2005
Ian McKeever: Watercolours and Gouaches 1993-2003, Jill Lloyd, Akvarellmuseet, Sweden, 2003
Ian McKeever: William Blake's Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion, Francis Carey, Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 2002
Ian McKeever: Paintings from the Four Quartet Series, Michael Tucker and Ian McKeever, Horsens Kunstmuseum, Horsens, 2002
Ian Mckeever: Paintings 1993-2000, Karsten Ohrt, Kunsthallen Brandts Klaederfabrik, Odense. 2000
Ian McKeever: Paintings 1990-96, Jeremy Lewison and Timo Valjakka, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham and Porin Taidemuseo, Pori, 1996
Ian McKeever: The Marianne North Paintings, Matt's Gallery, London, 1995
Ian McKeever: Works on Paper 1981-1996, Michael Tucker and Tony Godfrey, The University Of Brighton, 1996
Ian McKeever: Paintings 1978-1990, Wulf Herzogenrath, Wolfgang Max Faust and Ian McKeever, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1990
Ian McKeever: Grønland, Galerie Tanit, Munich and Morat-Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1989
Ian McKeever: Echo and Reflection, Paintings 1983–1987, Stephen Bann and Wilhelm Bojeschul, Kunstverein Braunschweig, 1987
Contact details for further information
Email membershipoffice@royalacademy.org.uk
