henry kondrackiThree Cities

hen

ry kon

dracki Three Cities

The Sco

TTiSh G

aLLery, edin

BUrG

h

henry kondrackiThree Cities

4 – 28 march 2015www.ScoTTiSh-GaLLery.co.Uk/kondracki

Front cover: London Eye (detail), oil on canvas, 102 x 122 cms (cat. 35)Left: Macy’s, New York (detail), oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cms (cat. 38)

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Foreword

henry in his studio, January, 2015

The world henry kondracki visualizes in his paintings is large and monumental, not only for his choice of subject, but for his ability to observe in the smallest or biggest canvas, drawing, gouache or watercolour, a fascination with humans, animals, buildings and landscape. his observations are often humorous, clever, tender, and always interesting.

every medium kondracki uses, and he uses them all, with a brilliant and sure technique, results in dazzling work. The people, children and adults alike, are nearly always very busy, going about their daily lives, rushing home under umbrellas in the rain, or through the park in edinburgh, the artist’s home city, in the snow. They go to the races, standing with their backs to you, excitedly watching the horses and their determined jockeys rush past. children go to the park and feed the ducks, or stand in awe on long empty beaches looking at the blue sea.

in this exhibition, Three Cities, the artist has excelled, painting panoramas of new york, London and edinburgh, with extraordinary detail and atmosphere.

The view from the London eye, in pouring rain, is superb, and very wet. kondracki is a master of depicting rain and snow. in the view of the empire State Building, and new york skyscrapers, he could not resist placing a small girl, viewing the scene through the telescope.

in the most down to earth painting, in the Botanical Gardens in edinburgh, the vibrant green of the grass could almost, but fortunately doesn’t, hide the couple sitting on a rug in the corner of the garden. it is reminiscent of a scene in the film Blowout, and lends a certain ‘Je ne sais quoi’ to the picture.

From an early age henry was thinking about being an artist, probably seeing and visualizing scenes and ideas in his mind, and the impression is that he has always loved using colour, both in landscapes, seascapes, the sky, and also in people’s clothes. his folk are always dressed in character, and in the right colours for them! The pink ice cream van, the different coloured umbrellas, the cars and buses, the boys hurling snowballs, the waiters, the ventriloquist, the bustling crowds, are all imbued with character and personality, and are painted with loving care.

This exhibition, Three Cities, is a tour de force for henry kondracki, and we, the viewer, are fortunate to have him in our midst.

anGeLa FLowerSJanuary 2015

In this exhibition I have tried to convey something of the essence of these cities and have focussed on the moments of calm and celebration instead of the stress and angst of city living.

henry kondrackiJanuary 2015

edinBUrGhedinburgh has many moods. The castle is a constant , like an actor trying to hold the limelight which in the past i have tried to resist, but in this exhibition have given it centre stage. The sanctuary of the Botanical gardens; a summer’s day with long shadows; a great view of edinburgh; the buildings pile up, culminating in the castle.

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1 Twilight, Hanover Streetoil on canvas100 x 70.5 cms

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2 The Moundoil on canvas101.5 x 122 cms

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3 Cherry Blossomoil on canvas24 x 18 cms

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4 Burgh Lochoil on canvas 89 x 114 cms

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5 High Summer, Botanical Gardensoil on canvas127 x 140 cms

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6 The Venneloil on canvas152.5 x 132 cms

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7 Walk in the Snow, Meadowsoil on canvas19.5 x 51 cms

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8 Study of the Venneloil on canvas35.5 x 45.5 cms

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9 The Cowgateoil on canvas89 x 114 cms

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10 Sledgingoil on canvas40.5 x 51 cms

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11 Grassmarketoil on canvas80.5 x 70.5 cms

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12 Moonlight on the Bridgesoil on canvas101.5 x 122 cms

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13 Study for Castle Terraceoil on canvas30.5 x 46 cms

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14 Howe Streetoil on canvas25.5 x 20 cms

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15 Castle Terraceoil on canvas101.5 x 122 cms

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16 Blue Bobbyoil on canvas40.5 x 30.5 cms

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17 Pink Clouds, Princes Streetoil on canvas89 x 76 cms

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18 Calton Hill, Sunsetoil on canvas101.5 x 122 cms

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19 Blue Night, Arthur’s Seatoil on canvas66 x 76 cms

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20 Funfair Musicoil on canvas45.5 x 61 cms

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21 Cars at Nightoil on canvas30.5 x 25.5 cms

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22 Varsity Music Shopoil on canvas45.5 x 61 cms

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23 Greyfriars Bobby in the Snowoil on canvas114 x 89 cms

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24 St Margaret’s Lochoil on canvas51 x 61 cms

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25 Bus Stop, Pink Umbrellaoil on canvas30.5 x 30.5 cms

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26 Hanover Street in the Rainoil on canvas66 x 51 cms

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LondonOn the shores of the Thames you can find broken Victorian clay pipes and even shards of roman pottery. when painting London and the Thames i think of all the poets and painters who have captured London’s life. art is partly archaeology.

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27 Cafe at the Tate Modernoil on canvas25.5 x 35.5 cms

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28 Waterloo Bridgeoil on canvas51 x 61 cms

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29 The Thamesoil on canvas61 x 79 cms

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30 Bird’s Eye View of Londonoil on canvas76 x 91.5 cms

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31 Toy London Busoil on canvas25.5 x 30.5 cms

32 Trafalgar Squareoil on canvas91.5 x 91.5 cms

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33 Tower Bridge, Yellowoil on canvas25.5 x 25.5 cms

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34 Houses of Parliamentoil on canvas61 x 76 cms

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35 London Eyeoil on canvas102 x 122 cms

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36 Primrose Hill, Sledgingoil on canvas61 x 70.5 cms

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37 Tower Bridgeoil on canvas117 x 122 cms

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new yorkThe Statue of Liberty; i think of all the hopes and dreams that this statue has inspired, now tourists point cameras and take away digital memories, pixellated pictures, like Seurat’s dots; now everyone is a pointillist. Brooklyn Bridge; a rain soaked day; the lights of the cars like diamonds coming towards you and rubies receding. ordinary but extraordinary.

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38 Macy’s, New Yorkoil on canvas56 x 46 cms

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39 On the way to Coney Islandoil on canvas132 x 152.5 cms

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40 The Top of the Rockoil on canvas51 x 61 cms

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41 Manhattan Twilightoil on canvas63.5 x 71 cms

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42 Midnight Coffeeoil on canvas35.5 x 45.5 cms

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43 Brooklyn Bridgeoil on canvas35.5 x 45.5 cms

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44 Autumn, Central Parkoil on canvas45.5 x 56 cms

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45 Statue of Libertyoil on canvas85 x 61 cms

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henry kondracki

1953 Born in edinburgh 1981-82 Byam Shaw School of art, London1982-86 Slade School of Fine art, London;

Ba in Fine art (First class honours)

SoLo exhiBiTionS 1979 Traverse Theatre club, edinburgh 1984 The artists’ collective Gallery, edinburgh 1987 Vanessa Devereux Gallery, London 1988 michael wardell Gallery, melbourne, australia 1989 Vanessa Devereux Gallery, London 1991 Easter Road, william Jackson Gallery, London 1992 The artists’ collective Gallery, edinburgh 1994 william Jackson Gallery, London Gallery m, London 1995 The Scottish Gallery, edinburgh 1996 Flowers east at London Fields, London 1997 Bellevue Gallery, edinburgh 1998 Flowers Graphics, London Flowers east, London 2000 Kondracki's Edinburgh, Flowers west,

Santa monica, california 2001 Flowers east, London 2003 Flowers central, London 2004 open eye Gallery, edinburgh 2007 Flowers, new york 2008 Lemon Street Gallery, Truro 2008 michael richardson art Space 2009 open eye Gallery, edinburgh 2010 Paintings, The Scottish Gallery, edinburgh 2012 Works on Paper, The Scottish Gallery edinburgh2015 Three Cities, The Scottish Gallery, edinburgh

SeLecTed GroUp exhiBiTionS1979 Gladstone court, The royal mile, edinburgh1983, 85 Whitworth Young Contemporaries, whitworth art

Gallery, manchester1984 Society of Scottish Artists 90th Exhibition,

royal Scottish academy, edinburgh1986 John Moores Exhibition, The walker Gallery,

Liverpool Cityscape: The Changing Face of London,

arthur anderson & co, London1987 nice art Fair, France The Big Fight, Vanessa Devereux Gallery, London Southbank Picture Show, royal Festival hall,

London1988 Riverside Open, riverside Studios, London milburn & arte, Sydney, australia1988 Society of Scottish artists, royal Scottish

academy, edinburgh Edinburgh Festival Exhibition, edinburgh

printmakers workshop A Personal Choice by Jeffery Camp, nigel

Greenwood Gallery, London Off the Wall, Vanessa Devereux Gallery, London1990, 93, 94, 00, 01, 06, 12 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition,

royal academy of arts, London 1991 Director's Choice, The Scottish Gallery, London Travel Fresh Horizons, william Jackson Gallery,

London 1992-93 Figure in the City, Talbot rice Gallery, touring

exhibition; amsterdam, antwerp, Brussels

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henry sketching in central park, new york, autumn 2014. photographs by eddie kondracki

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1993 Hope and Despair – English Figurative Art, crane Gallery, London

The Selected Line, william Jackson Gallery, London

Polish Routes; British Soul, edinburgh city art touring show

1994 Witnesses & Dreamers, oliver Bevan touring show

1996 A Scottish Renaissance, Contemporary Painting in Scotland, The rotunda, hong kong

1998 New British Painting, Flowers west, Santa monica, california

2000 30th Anniversary Exhibition, Flowers, London and Santa monica, california

2005 Hyman Kondracki Osuga, Flowers east, London Angela Flowers Gallery 35th Anniversary Exhibition,

Flowers east, London

awardS 1978 Scottish arts council, materials and costs award 1979 Scottish arts council, minor Bursary 1983 The Sir william coldstream prize at the Slade

whitworth young contemporaries, a prize from the Granada Foundation, manchester

1984 The rodney Burn prize at the Slade for best figurative work in the session 1983-84

1985 Slade prize in Fine art for the session 1984-85 1986 Slade prize in Fine art for the session 1985-86 1987 South Bank Board prize 1991 Spectator/adam & co art prize – Travel Fresh

horizons

1995 prize winner, John moores exhibition, walker art Gallery, Liverpool

1997 noble Grossart, Scotland on Sunday (third prize) 1999 cheltenham drawing prize 2000 hunting Group (regional prize) 2004 Hunting Art Prize (first prize) Singer Friedlander (second prize) 2013 open eye prize rSa First Time exhibitor ‘rGi’ prize collections coLLecTionSarts council of Great Britain BaS investments Uk British council city arts centre, edinburgh Glasgow city museums and Galleries Granada Foundation, manchester Guildhall, London manchester city art Gallery royal Bank of Scotland Scottish provident Standard Life University college London Virgin Atlantic

BiBLioGraphy 1995 Street Life at Gallery M, James hobbs 2005 The hunting art prizes catalogue 2005 The Artist (February) 2007 The Sun, new york (march)

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henry in his studio in front of The Vennel, January 2015

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right: Greyfriars Bobby in the Snow (detail), oil on canvas, 114 x 89 cms (cat. 23)

16 dundas Street, edinburgh eh3 6hZ TeL 0131 558 1200 emaiL mail@scottish-gallery.co.ukwww.scottish-gallery.co.uk

published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition henry kondracki Three Cities4-28 march 2015

exhibition can be viewed online at www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/kondracki

iSBn: 978-1-910267-12-7

acknowLedGemenTShenry kondracki and The Scottish Gallery would like to thank angela Flowers for her insightful foreword.

designed by www.kennethgray.co.uk photography by Jed Gordonprinted by Barr colour printers

all rights reserved. no part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers.

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hen

ry kon

dracki Three Cities

The Sco

TTiSh G

aLLery, edin

BUrG

h