Bruce McLean

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Bruce McLean is one of the major figures of contemporary British Art.

Born in 1944 he studied at Glasgow School of Art (1961-63) and at St. Martin’s in London (1963-66), where he was taught by Sir Anthony Caro, Phillip King, Bill Tucker, Isaac Witkin and Peter Atkins. The course was very rigourous and encouraged a questioning enquiry into the nature of sculpture past, present and future. Bruce McLean responded by making sculpture out of rubbish, water and other impermanent materials, and by using his own body to make action sculptures- and impersonate sculptures by others. Also produced were photographic works in which he often appeared. Bruce McLean lead the development of Conceptual art in Britain in the 1960s, often working outside in the urban and suburban landscape. Some of his works brilliantly sent up the solemnity of the art world and mocked established art forms. In 1972 he was given a one day retrospective at the Tate Gallery at the age of 27 (King for a Day).

Bruce McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

After St. Martin’s McLean went on to teach at numerous art schools including The Slade School of Fine Art, where he became Head of Graduate Painting (2002-2010). He has obtained international recognition for his paintings and prints, work with film, theatre and books. Bruce McLean’s bold and confident approach to printmaking proved influential to his contemporaries and also to a generation of younger artists. The making of prints and posters has been a central aspect of his work and continues to inform his sculptural investigations.

His work is in private and public collections world-wide including the Tate Gallery, Arts Council of Great Britain, Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Modern Art, Edinburgh and the British Council. He has had numerous one man shows in Europe, North America, and Japan.

Bruce McLean has participated in many major international exhibitions since the 1960s, highlights include: When Attitudes Become Form, KunstHalle, Bern (1969), Information- Museum of Modern Art, New York (1970), The British Avant Garde, New York Cultural Centre , New York (1971), Documenta 6, Kassel (1977), Art in the Seventies, Biennale, Venice (1980), The 4th Sydney Biennale, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (1981), A New Spirit in Painting, Royal Academy of Arts, London, Zeitgeist, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin (1982), Documenta 7, Museum Fredericianum, Kassel (1982), Thought and Action, Laforet Museum, Tokyo (1983), New Art, Tate Gallery, London (1983), An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York (1984), The Critical Eye, Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven (1984), 11 European Painters, National Gallery, Athens (1985), British Art in the 20th Century, Royal Academy of Arts, London (1987), Great British Art Show, McLennan Gallery, Glasgow (1990), Out of Action; Between Performance and the Object, 1949-79, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1997), Bruce McLean and William Alsop, Two Chairs, Milton Keynes Gallery (2002), Body and Void: Echoes of Moore in Contemporary Art, The Henry Moore Foundation, Hertfordshire 2014). McLean was awarded the John Moores Painting Prize in 1985.

Now approaching his seventh decade Bruce McLean’s energy, vision and work ethic remain undimmed. 2014 saw two major exhibitions exploring his work: ‘Bruce McLean: Another Condition of Sculpture’ at Leeds Art Gallery, and ‘Bruce McLean: Sculpture, Painting, Photography, Film’ at Firstsite in Colchester, both shows included works spanning five decades. McLean’s work featured in the Royal Scottish Academy’s annual exhibition in 2016 and can currently be seen in Tate’s ‘Conceptual Art in Britain 1964-1979’ exhibition. He lives and works in west London.

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Scone in a White Interior

‘Scone in a White Interior’ is a signed limited edition silkscreen print by Bruce McLean.

Price: £485

Sculpture
n. ‘The art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, especially by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster’

scone
n. A small unsweetened or lightly sweetened cake made from flour, fat, and milk and sometimes having added fruit.

Scone in a White Interior references McLean’s childhood visits to his grandfather, who encouraged him to draw. Without fail, before beginning, his grandfather would say ‘What shall we do this week? Shall it be a potato against a black background, or a scone off a plate?ʼ This sense of placing and misplacing objects (off the plate / on the plate) has been a central concern of McLeanʼs work and serves as a gesture of rebellion. Here the banal scone is used as a deflationary symbol for (among other things) sculpture.

The 2-colour silkscreen edition comprises 50 edition copies plus proofs, and was made with Andrew Curtis at Coriander Studio in February 2014.

2014

£59x65cm

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Invisible Soup

‘Invisible Soup’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £590

Invisible Soup is one of five prints inspired by episodes from McLean’s autobiography ‘Mixed Grillings’. which is a series of 150 true stories of which food is the central motif. Excerpts from the text have been incorporated into the composition; displaying the artist’s quirky and unique sense of humour. Each work represents a memory, a story, a slice of the artist’s life and his artistic response to that memory; and as such they constitute his most personal work in recent years. Each print is hand-worked by the artist.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2016

66x67.5cm

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Qweesh Not Quiche

‘Qweesh Not Quiche’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £590

Qweesh Not Quiche (Queen not Keen) is one of five prints inspired by episodes from McLean’s autobiography ‘Mixed Grillings’. which is a series of 150 true stories of which food is the central motif. Excerpts from the text have been incorporated into the composition; displaying the artist’s quirky and unique sense of humour. Each work represents a memory, a story, a slice of the artist’s life and his artistic response to that memory; and as such they constitute his most personal work in recent years. Each print is hand-worked by the artist.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2016

66x67.5cm

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Monica’s Walnut Sponge Cake

‘Monica’s Walnut Sponge Cake’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £590

Monica’s Walnut Sponge Cake is one of five prints inspired by episodes from McLean’s autobiography ‘Mixed Grillings’. which is a series of 150 true stories of which food is the central motif. Excerpts from the text have been incorporated into the composition; displaying the artist’s quirky and unique sense of humour. Each work represents a memory, a story, a slice of the artist’s life and his artistic response to that memory; and as such they constitute his most personal work in recent years. Each print is hand-worked by the artist.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2016

66x67.5cm

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Cobweb of Potato

‘Cobweb of Potato’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £590

Cobweb of Potato is one of five prints inspired by episodes from McLean’s autobiography ‘Mixed Grillings’. which is a series of 150 true stories of which food is the central motif. Excerpts from the text have been incorporated into the composition; displaying the artist’s quirky and unique sense of humour. Each work represents a memory, a story, a slice of the artist’s life and his artistic response to that memory; and as such they constitute his most personal work in recent years. Each print is hand-worked by the artist.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2016

66x67.5cm

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There’s a Sculpture in my Profiteroles

‘There’s a Sculpture in my Profiteroles’ is a stunning limited edition 25 colour Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1300

There’s a Sculpture in my Profiteroles and A Spot of Brown Windsor Soup are great examples of how McLean’s sharp sense of humour infiltrates his work. The bold contrast of shape and colour underline the artist’s skill in creating such a sophisticated composition.

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2011

80x82cm

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Shades Of Grey, Cerulean Blue

‘Shades Of Grey, Cerulean Blue’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1350

Inspired by the Dream Garden Monotypes released in 2017, McLean has developed two stunning new limited edition silkscreens with collaged elements Shades of Grey, Light Blue and Shades of Grey, Cerulean Blue. In a limited edition size of 75 prints, each of the Shades of Grey silkscreens explore deeper McLean’s dream garden vision with a refined focus on monochromatic patterns and textures with pops of vibrant colours.

“In the intense bright and blistering Menorcan light, it is sometimes necessary to make black or grey works in response to the dark green, jungley garden (an endlessly moving sculpture) containing plants – aloes, yuccas, palms, tiger grass, cane, papyrus, phormium, cactus, agave americana, agapanthus, etc, punctuated by pomegranates.” – McLean

This piece comes from an edition of 75 and is signed by the artist.

2017

97x115cm

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Shades of Grey, Light Blue

‘Shades of Grey, Light Blue’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1350

Inspired by the Dream Garden Monotypes released in 2017, McLean has developed two stunning new limited edition silkscreens with collaged elements Shades of Grey, Light Blue and Shades of Grey, Cerulean Blue. In a limited edition size of 75 prints, each of the Shades of Grey silkscreens explore deeper McLean’s dream garden vision with a refined focus on monochromatic patterns and textures with pops of vibrant colours.

“In the intense bright and blistering Menorcan light, it is sometimes necessary to make black or grey works in response to the dark green, jungley garden (an endlessly moving sculpture) containing plants – aloes, yuccas, palms, tiger grass, cane, papyrus, phormium, cactus, agave americana, agapanthus, etc, punctuated by pomegranates.” – McLean

This piece comes from an edition of 75 and is signed by the artist.

2017

97x115cm

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A Spot Of Brown Windsor Soup

‘A Spot Of Brown Windsor Soup’ is a stunning limited edition 19 colour Silkscreen Print with collage elements and glazes by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1200

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

2011

81x82cm

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Pink Moda

‘Pink Moda’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £900

Bruce McLean returns with two bold and vibrant collage compositions inspired by London. Two black Trees combines dynamic geometric shapes suggestive of architectural forms and with tree-silhouettes. Though effectively abstract, McLean’s palette and inclusion of a segment from a London street map perfectly capture the atmosphere of a sunny day in a London park. The urban atmosphere is increased by the inclusion of graffiti

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

‘Pink Moda’ makes a pair with Designer Trees.

2011

94x75cm

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Designer Trees

‘Designer Trees’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print with collage elements by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £950

Bruce McLean returns with two bold and vibrant collage compositions inspired by London. Two black Trees combines dynamic geometric shapes suggestive of architectural forms and with tree-silhouettes. Though effectively abstract, McLean’s palette and inclusion of a segment from a London street map perfectly capture the atmosphere of a sunny day in a London park. The urban atmosphere is increased by the inclusion of graffiti

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

‘Designer Trees’ makes a pair with Pink Moda

2011

94x75cm

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Black Mimosa

‘Black Mimosa’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print on 410 gsm somerset tub-sized paper by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1500

‘Agave America’ is an 18 colour print including satin and UV varnish and collage.

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

‘Black Mimosa’ makes a pair with Agave Americana

2008

76x79cm

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Agave Americana

‘Agave Americana’ is a stunning limited edition Silkscreen Print on 410 gsm somerset tub-sized paper by abstract artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £1500

‘Agave America’ is an 18 colour print including satin and UV varnish and collage.

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 100 and is signed by the artist.

‘Agave Americana’ makes a pair with Black Mimosa

2008

76x79cm

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Green Grey Violet Shadow

‘Green Grey Violet Shadow’ is a stunning hand cut and painted Silkscreen Print from contemporary artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £800

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 75.

Green Grey Violet Shadow is part of the Shadow Series from Bruce Mclean

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow
Grey Grow Green
Green Grey Violet Shadow
Blue Grey Blind

2015

73x74cm

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Grey Grow Green

‘Grey Grow Green’ is a stunning hand cut and painted Silkscreen Print from contemporary artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £800

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 75.

Grey Grow Green is part of the Shadow Series from Bruce Mclean

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow
Grey Grow Green
Green Grey Violet Shadow
Blue Grey Blind

2015

73x74cm

Enquire

Blue Grey Blind

‘Blue Grey Blind’ is a stunning hand cut and painted collaged Silkscreen Print from contemporary artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £800

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 75.

Blue Grey Blind is part of the Shadow Series from Bruce Mclean

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow
Grey Grow Green
Green Grey Violet Shadow
Blue Grey Blind

2015

74x73cm

Enquire

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow

‘Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow’ is a stunning hand cut and painted collaged silkscreen print from contemporary artist Bruce McLean.

Price: £700

McLean’s work is in a permanent state of movement and invention; from the late 1960s his range of media has included painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, photography drawing and live work; in all of which humour, scepticism and wit are central. His work seeks to challenge the concept of ‘sculpture’ and indeed of ‘art’ by creating work that questions establishment thinking, materials and methods of display.

This piece comes from an edition of 75.

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow is part of the Shadow Series from Bruce Mclean

Tree Fern and Shadow, Yellow
Grey Grow Green
Green Grey Violet Shadow
Blue Grey Blind

2015

73x74cm

Enquire

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