Home > Gillian Ayres

Ayres was born in Barnes in south-west London. She studied at the Camberwell School of Art where figurative art was promoted, which Ayres hated. She left in 1950 and began to paint abstracts, with her first solo exhibition coming in the mid-1950s. Ayres held a number of teaching posts through the 1960s and 1970s, becoming friends with painters such as Howard Hodgkin, Robyn Denny and Roger Hilton . In 1981 she moved to north Wales, and later to Cornwall.

Ayres' early works are typically made with thin vinyl paint in a limited number of colours arranged in relatively simple forms, but later works in oil paint are more exuberant and very colourful, with a thick impasto being used. The titles of her paintings, such as Anthony and Cleopatra ( 1982) and A Midsummer Night ( 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo), are usually given after the painting is completed and do not directly describe the content of the painting, but rather are intended to resonate with the general mood of the work.

Ayres was made an OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross (G. Knight or Dame Commander in 19861986 is a common year starting on Wednesday. Events January January 1 Spain and Portugal enter the European Community January 1 Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands and is separated from the Netherlands Antilles. January 9 After losing a pa, and in 19911991 like 2002, is a palindromic year. It also has the same calendar as 2002, including Easter on March 31. It is a common year starting on Tuesday. Events January January 2 Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC becoming the first blac became a Royal AcademicianThe Royal Academy is an art institution based in London, England. History It was formed to rival the Society of Artists after an unseemly leadership dispute between two leading architects, Sir William Chambers and James Paine). Paine won, but Chambers vow. She later resigned from the Academy, in part because of the controversial Sensation exhibition hosted by the Academy in 19971997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef''. Events January January 3 NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 Mister Rogers receives a star on t, show-casing the so-called Young British ArtistsYoung British Artists is the name given to a collective of conceptual artists based in the United Kingdom. It is often reduced to "YBA". The work of the YBAs is dubbed Britart . The phrase is attributed to a series of exhibitions organised at the Saatchi.

Ayres was shortlisted for the Turner PrizeThe Turner Prize is an annual prize given to a British visual artist under 50, named after the painter J. It is organized by the Tate art gallery, and since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised art award. The prize mon in 1989. She married, and then divorced, the painter Henry Munday . They had two sons.