Founded in 2021, NISO is committed to supporting the next generation of talents as well as rediscovering the legacy of XXth Century artists whose remarkable contributions to Art History have gone unnoticed in recent times. Located in Central London, the gallery provides a dynamic platform to present solo exhibitions and intergenerational dialogues in collaboration with artists, estates, and representing galleries. 

NISO has been committed to supporting the next generation of talents as well as rediscovering the legacy (...)

SUPPORTING EMERGING ARTISTS, REDISCOVERING UNDER REPRESENTED MASTERS FROM THE XXTH CENTURY

Manabu Mabe's artistic journey unfolds against the backdrop of his upbringing in Kumamoto, Japan, where he was born on September 14, 1924, to Soichi and Haru Mabe. The family's migration to Brazil in 1934, seeking opportunities in the coffee plantations of Lins, São Paulo, marked the beginning of Mabe's immersion into the rich tapestry of landscapes that would later influence his artistry. It was during his formative years amidst the verdant fields, particularly on rainy days, that Mabe found solace and inspiration in capturing the natural beauty of his surroundings through painting.

As Mabe matured, his passion for art deepened, leading him to embark on a journey of self-discovery through the exploration of art books and magazines in 1941. Guided by the expertise of painter and photographer Teisuke Kumasaka in 1945, Mabe honed his craft, mastering the techniques of canvas preparation and paint dilution. These foundational skills would form the bedrock of his artistic expression, allowing him to translate his unique vision onto the canvas.

The turning point in Mabe's artistic development came in 1951 when he encountered works from the esteemed Paris School at the 1st International Biennial of São Paulo. This encounter ignited a transformative shift in his approach to art, propelling him towards abstraction and away from the geometric forms of his earlier works influenced by cubism. By 1959, Mabe's abstract compositions garnered critical acclaim, earning him the prestigious Leirner Prize for Contemporary Art and catapulting him into the international spotlight, with TIME Magazine dubbing him "The Year of Manabu Mabe." His artistic development continued to flourish, earning him further accolades such as the "Best National Painter Award" at the 5th International Biennial of São Paulo and the "Fiat Prize" at the Venice Biennale in 1960. 

Mabe's legacy transcended borders, with his works featured in solo and group exhibitions across Latin America, Europe, Japan, and the United States, cementing his status as a seminal figure in Brazil's vibrant art scene.

Untitled, 1969 Oil on Canvas 100 x 140 cm 

Untitled, 1971 Gouche on Cardboard 35,5 x 50,5 cm

A virtuoso in portraiture and travel painting – Proctor’s mostly autobiographical works freely depict the artist’s surroundings. Delicate renderings in watercolour relate quotidian scenes ranging from the landscapes he encountered on his bohemian wanderings from the Middle East to Asia “Kyoto, Golden Temple, Rain” (1991) to the intimate portraits of friends, lovers and colleagues made from the comfort of in his living room “Portrait of Richard Buckle” (1968), “Peter Hinwood”(1969). A chronicle of daily life as an artist, a dandy, and an integral member of the swinging sixties, Procktor’s honest reflections deeply resonate with the modern-day documentation of life in the digital Age.

Marked by a unique and understated painterly language that blends traditional and contemporary influences – Procktor’s portraits reveal a subdued and pasty palette and lingering atmosphere redolent of the pre-pop ‘Euston Road’ artistic movement, combined with an audacious use of white space that parallels the aesthetic modernity of the time. Marked by a non-hierarchical way of seeing, extraneous detail is opted out, figures carefully poised within the white space of the paper - some with mannerist distortions – coming together in a gentle and elegant quality that is muted in its transparency and deliberate areas of unpainted surface.

Balanced with an equal measure of finesse and flair – the subjects of Procktor’s portraits unveil a colourful melee of artists, musicians, designers, photographers and socialites that relay to the audience a generational snapshot of the milieu of art, theatre, fashion and rock music the artist inhabits.

Among them, some of the greatest figures of the era as well as many queer icons such as his friend the artist David Hockney and fashion designer Ossie Clark, interior designer Christopher Gibbs, Richard Beer, Peter Schlesinger, Mo McDermott, David Gwinnett, Francis Bacon, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, and Cecil Beaton; making up an almost complete cast of the ‘swinging’ London of the 60s and 70s.

Seemingly unguarded, Procktor’s portraits and renderings show a recurring - almost voyeuristic - depiction of the male figure – as carefree bodies recline half- naked “Brittas Bay” (1968), baking in the summer heat in parks “Lawn” (1975), or on the decks of boats “Tropic of Cancer”(1974). Conjuring airs of queer eros and nonchalance, these epitomise much of the liberal revolution of the time, where accepted norms of behaviour, sexual and otherwise, were being jettisoned for a new age of social freedoms.

A charismatic dandy renowned for his Wildean theatricality and wit, Procktor was one of the UK’s most controversial and enigmatic figures. Spanning several decades, his work compassed diverse styles and mediums, subject to significant acclaim as well as controversy over his lifetime. First gaining recognition the year after his graduation, his first show at the Redfern was a sell-out before it opened. The following year, Bryan Robertson selected him for the seminal 1963 exhibition “New Generation” at the Whitechapel, exhibiting his early paintings – dynamic, abstract depictions of the male nude – alongside those of the most promising artists of his time Patrick Caulfield, John Hoyland, Bridget Riley and David Hockney. With subsequent tendencies that included the out-of-vogue medium of watercolour, paired with the thematic monotony of his 1968 ‘One Boy Show’ fiasco - Procktor’s acclaim would never reach that of his close friend and muse David Hockney. By the mid-90s, doomed by alcoholism and a series of personal disasters that included a fire that destroyed his home and much of his art, brief spells of incarceration and homelessness quickly ensued, blighting the later years of his life.

Today, his prints, watercolours, and oil and acrylic paintings sit in private and public institutions including the British Museum, the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, The Los Angeles County Museum, the Metropolitan Museum (NY), and the MoMA (NY), subject to a particular resurgence since the publishing of Ian Massey’s major monograph “Patrick Procktor: Art and Life” in 2010. Spotlights include Tate Britain's survey show of watercolourists in 2011 and Queer British Art exhibition in 2017, as well as his acclaimed retrospective at Huddersfield Art Gallery in 2012, and the eponymous exhibition at Palazzo Bentivoglio (Bologna) “A View From A Window” in 2022.

In participation with this year’s London Gallery Weekend,  NISO is pleased to present a monographic exhibition of works by the esteemed British painter Patrick Procktor, shedding light on one of the seminal figures of the Swinging Sixties art scene through candid watercolour depictions of everyday moments. Curated by art critic and curator Ophelia Sanderson, “A Life in Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and the Swinging Sixties”  will be on view from May 30 to July 20, 2024, showcasing a selection of 18 oil paintings and watercolours spanning three decades of artistic practice (1963-1991) displaying celebrity portraits as well as unguarded moments of queer experience.

A virtuoso in portraiture and travel painting – Proctor’s mostly autobiographical works freely depict the artist’s surroundings.  Delicate renderings in watercolour relate quotidian scenes ranging from the landscapes he encountered on his bohemian wanderings from the Middle East to Asia “Kyoto, Golden Temple, Rain” (1991) to the intimate portraits of friends, lovers and colleagues made from the comfort of in his living room “Portrait of Richard Buckle” (1968), “Peter Hinwood”(1969). A chronicle of daily life as an artist, a dandy, and an integral member of the swinging sixties, Procktor’s honest reflections deeply resonate with the modern-day documentation of life in the digital Age. 

Marked by a unique and understated painterly language that blends traditional and contemporary influences – Procktor’s portraits  reveal a subdued and pasty palette and lingering atmosphere redolent of the pre-pop ‘Euston Road’ artistic movement, combined with an audacious use of white space that parallels the aesthetic modernity of the time. Marked by a non-hierarchical way of seeing, extraneous detail is opted out, figures carefully poised within the white space of the paper - some with mannerist distortions – coming together in a gentle and elegant quality that is muted in its transparency and deliberate areas of unpainted surface.  

Balanced with an equal measure of finesse and flair – the subjects of Procktor’s portraits unveil a colourful melee of artists, musicians, designers, photographers and socialites that relay to the audience a generational snapshot of the milieu of art, theatre, fashion and rock music the artist inhabits.  

Seemingly unguarded, Procktor’s portraits and renderings show a recurring - almost voyeuristic - depiction of the male figure – as carefree bodies recline half-naked “Brittas Bay” (1968), baking in the summer heat in parks “Lawn” (1975), or on the decks of boats “Tropic of Cancer”(1974). Conjuring airs of queer eros and nonchalance, these epitomise much of the liberal revolution of the time, where accepted norms of behaviour, sexual and otherwise, were being jettisoned for a new age of social freedoms.

A charismatic dandy renowned for his Wildean theatricality and wit, Procktor

was one of the UK’s most controversial and enigmatic figures. Spanning several decades, his work compassed diverse styles and mediums, subject to significant acclaim as well as controversy over his lifetime. First gaining recognition the year after his graduation, his first show at the Redfern was a sell-out before it opened. The following year, Bryan Robertson selected him for the seminal 1963 exhibition “New Generation” at the Whitechapel, exhibiting his early paintings – dynamic, abstract depictions of the male nude – alongside those of the most promising artists of his time Patrick Caulfield, John Hoyland, Bridget Riley and David Hockney. With subsequent tendencies that included the out-of-vogue medium of watercolour, paired with the thematic monotony of his 1968 ‘One Boy Show’ fiasco - Procktor’s acclaim would never reach that of his close friend and muse David Hockney. By the mid-90s, doomed by alcoholism and a series of personal disasters that included a fire that destroyed his home and much of his art, brief spells of incarceration and homelessness quickly ensued, blighting the later years of his life.

Installation view of "A Life in Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and the Swinging Sixties"

Mick Jagger, 1969 Watercolour on paper 51 × 35,5 cm

Nicholas, 1973 Watercolour on paper 85 x 56 cm

Untitled (Neil Pridham), 1987 Watercolour on paper 41 x 31 cm

Untitled (Students at Yale), 1969 Watercolour on paper 57 x 103 cm 

Portrait of Richard Buckle, 1968 Watercolour on paper 36 × 49,5 cm

Peter Hinwood, 1969 Watercolour on paper 35,5 x 51 cm

Untitled (Child Laying Down), 1968 Watercolour on Paper 23 × 29 cm

Untitled (Young American Boy), 1967 Watercolour on Paper 34 x 26 cm 

Installation view of "A Life In Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and the Swinging Sixites"

Ole Glaesner - Entre jour, 1969 Watercolour on paper 46 x 78,5 cm 

Installation view of "A Life In Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and the Swinging Sixties"

Brittas Bay, 1968 Watercolour on paper 36 x 51 cm 

L.0° Lat 17.5° W. St Valentine’s, 1974 Watercolour on Paper 25 × 34.5 cm

Lawn ,1975 Enamel paint on Wood 26 x 36 cm 

Tropic of Cancer, 1974 Oil on Canvas 178 x 255 cm 

Installation view of "A Life In Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and the Swinging Sixties" 

Untitled (Two black swans), 1982 Watercolour on paper 31 x 41 cm 

Kyoto, Golden Temple, Rain 1991 Watercolour on paper 25,5 x 35,5 cm 

Untitled (Parco Querini, Vincenza) Watercolour on paper 31 x 41 cm 

A Life in Watercolour: Patrick Procktor and The Swinging Sixties 

Procktor Press Release.pdf

In participation with this year’s London Gallery Weekend,  NISO is pleased to present a monographic exhibition of works by the esteemed British painter Patrick Procktor, shedding light on one of the seminal figures of the Swinging Sixties art scene through candid watercolour depictions of everyday moments.

NISOPROJECT

NISOPROJECT

30.05—20.07.24

30.05—20.07.24

INVITED
ARTISTS

Manabu Mabe

Manabu Mabe

Patrick Procktor

Patrick Procktor

NISOPROJECT

NISOPROJECT

30.05—20.07.24

30.05—20.07.24

INVITED ARTISTS

Manabu Mabe

Manabu Mabe

Patrick Procktor

Patrick Procktor

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