The Ian Dury exhibition “More than Fair” at the Royal College of Art which runs until September 1st was an absolute revelation and the most interesting I have been to for some time. It represents, in my view, some of the very best in pop art, and I went round the show with an ever-increasing smile on my face. There is absolutely no doubt who created these images!
As a musician, Ian Dury was a great lyricist, and the titles given to some of his art- work bear his inimitable witty take on familiar subjects. They include Dany Bubbles, Princess Rockaberty and Flo Diddley! As one might expect, some of the paintings and drawings reflect the sex, drugs and rock & roll lifestyle of the ‘60s and early ‘70s and there is a certain amount of slightly risqué subject matter. He was clearly a very talented artist and would, I think, have been just as famous had he pursued a career in art as he was a singer/songwriter.
Having studied at Walthamstow Art College and the Royal College of Art, where he was taught by Sir Peter Blake who says he “legitimised” Ian’s interest in pin-up girls, cowboys, rock stars and other pop art subjects, he too became a tutor for a while at Canterbury College of Art. He was proud of being accepted at the RCA but also modest about his achievements and said “I was good enough to know I wasn’t going to be very good.”
I particularly liked the use of sequins in some of the painting backgrounds, his Vera Lynn album cover and the illustrations for the Sunday Times Magazines. The show was an inspiring experience and when a friend recently suggested I should paint another musician who fascinated me (and my Dad), I decided to have a go and here is the result, Debbie Harry – Blondie.
I am also just finishing two more images from Venice in a fairly loose style which is very different to the Blondie painting. I am eagerly looking forward to the Jonathan Yeo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which starts in September.