Michael Craig-Martin

Michael Craig-Martin

Michael Craig-Martin was born 28 Aug 1941; he is a contemporary conceptual artist and painter. He is noted for his fostering of the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught, and for his "conceptual" artwork.

Craig-Martin has lived and worked in London since 1966. From his early box-like constructions of the late 60’s he moved increasingly to the use of ordinary household objects. In the late 70’s he began to make line drawings of ordinary objects, creating over the years an ever-expanding vocabulary of images which form the foundation of his work to this day. During the 1990s the focus of his work shifted decisively to painting, with the same range of boldly outlined motifs and vivid color schemes applied both to works on canvas, and to increasingly complex installations of wall paintings.

In 1973, he exhibited the seminal piece An Oak Tree. The work consists of a glass of water standing on a shelf attached to the gallery wall next to which is a text using a semiotic argument to explain why it is in fact an oak tree. Nevertheless, on one occasion when it was barred by Australian Customs officials from entering the country as vegetation, he was forced to explain it was really a glass of water. The work was bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 1977; however, the Tate gallery has an artist's copy.

In the 1980s, Craig-Martin was a tutor at Goldsmiths College, Department of Art, and was a significant influence on the emerging YBA generation, including Damien Hirst. He was also helpful in promoting the Freeze show to established art-world figures. In 1995 he created drawing the Line: a comprehensive touring exhibition on the history of line drawing for the Southbank Centre, London. Craig-Martin and his influence were described in an article in the Observer regarding the mentors of British art, entitled Schools of Thought. Craig-Martin has been trusted by the Tate Gallery and he has also been trusted by the National Art Collections Fund.

Michael Craig-Martin had his first one man exhibition at the Rowan Gallery in London in 1969. His solo museum exhibitions include “Always Now,” Kunstverein in Hannover, Germany, 1998; IVAM, Valencia, Spain, 2000; “Living,” Sintra Museum of Modern Art in Portugal, 2001; “Signs of Life,” Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria, 2006; and “Less Is Still More,” Museum Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany, 2013. He made his American debut in the "Projects" series at the Museum of Modern Art.

In my opinion, I think that Michael Craig-Martin was a still life who was inspired by artists in the 19th century to create modern art paintings.