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Overview
Merlin James' quietly textured oeuvre is informed by a deep understanding of the painted medium, its material history, and deployment across a range of formal and representational sub-genres. Working neither directly from life nor from photographs, James draws on impressions and memories over time to reimagine familiar spaces and presences. Gauzy veils of paint foreground the physicality of the medium’s own application, while imbuing an amorphous screen of memory to recollected landscapes, figures, and still lifes.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1960, Merlin James studied in London at the Central School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He currently lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland.
James’ work has been exhibited widely, including recent solo presentations at Maureen Paley & Studio M, London, United Kingdom (2024); Kunstsaele, Berlin, Germany (2023); Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY (2022); Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA (2022); Kerlin Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (2021); and A-M-G5, Glasgow, Scotland (2018). James has also written extensively on art, and curates his own exhibition space at 42 Carlton Place, Glasgow.
His work can be found in the collections of global institutions including the British Council, UK; Brooklyn Museum, NY; Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris, France; National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK; OCT Boxes Art Museum, Shunde, China; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; Tate Britain, London, UK; and Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, China, among others. A landmark artist monograph, compiling over forty years of James’s painting practice, was co-published by Sikkema Malloy Jenkins in 2023.
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Exhibitions
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Merlin James
Hobby Horse 02.21 – 04.05.25Sikkema Malloy Jenkins is pleased to announce Hobby Horse , a solo show of paintings by Merlin James, on view from February 21 through April 5, 2025. The exhibition title...Explore -
Merlin James
River 11.21.20 – 01.23.21Sikkema Jenkins & Co. is pleased to present River , a solo exhibition of new paintings by Merlin James, on view November 21, 2020 through January 23, 2021. Central to...Explore
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