David Whitaker

This is the first monograph on the work of David Whitaker, providing a unique insight to his rigorous, seried and spectacularly colourful body of work. Known for his investigations into the optical effects of colour through painting, using extraordinary technical accomplishment and daring, David Whitaker has broadened the range and resonance of Abstract Art. Creating works with the precision of a mathematical diagram, Whitaker's technique is as extraordinary as the results it produces; cool colours, that the viewer might expect to recede, suddenly emerge producing an almost hallucinatory effect. Born in Blackpool in 1939 and granted a Distinction in Painting from the Royal Academy Schools, David Whitaker became one of the first British artists, in 1970, to have a solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, London. In 1973 on the recommendation of Bridget Riley he received the Mark Rothko Memorial Award, enabling him to spend several productive and inspirational months working in America. In 1996 he became one of the first abstract painters to win one of the prestigious Hunting Art Prizes. David Whitaker: Painting is a stunning tribute to the late painter's seminal career. Fully illustrated and with an authorative text by Matthew Sturgis, David Whitaker: Painting will inspire anyone with an interest in Modern contemporary, Abstract and Optical Art.